


The Past Ain’t Through With You

by myrmidonqueen



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Frank Iero/Ray Toro (referenced), High School Teachers, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Past Relationship(s), Recreational Drug Use, Teacher/Teacher relationship, kind of slow burn???, troubled teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28619385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrmidonqueen/pseuds/myrmidonqueen
Summary: Gerard and Frank are teachers at Haddonfield Memorial High School. When their budgets are threatened at the start of a new school year, they come together to figure out a way to salvage their funds in any way possible.But as they begin to fall for each other in the process, Frank’s long-buried past threatens to rear its ugly head and put his career - and the life he’s built for himself - in jeopardy.
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 59
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I AM SO EXCITED TO BE STARTING THIS NEW FIC! I'll try to upload as much as I can, hopefully one new chapter per week :)
> 
> I wrote a teacher/teacher fic years ago on a different MCR forum and had tons of fun with the content. I was inspired recently to tackle this fic trope again with new twists. Tons of idea inspiration comes from my partner but the writing is all me.
> 
> Hope anyone who stumbles across this story enjoys it, glad to have you on this journey with me <3

# ONE

Gerard never particularly looked forward to teacher orientation day. After an entire summer of decompressing, lounging, reading whatever books he wanted, and generally not having to worry about lesson plans, budgets, and all the other bureaucratic shit that teachers were faced with during the school year, orientation day felt like being thrown into a vat of ice water after waking up from a long nap. He stood in front of his mirror, adjusting his recently bought black-and-white striped tie and charcoal blazer, ruffling his hair about to find the right balance between casual and professional. Realizing that it hardly mattered, he sighed and trudged down the stairs of his house to the kitchen where he had brewed a fresh pot of coffee half an hour earlier. The house was quiet, save for the sounds of the old floorboards creaking under his footsteps. He checked the time on the oven clock: 8:30. With the few minutes that he had left before he had to officially start his day, he filled a thermos with coffee and grabbed a granola bar from the pantry. Orientation would only take a couple of hours, but he always brought something to eat just in case. He glanced at the door where his briefcase rested against the doorframe, pondering if it was necessary to bring along.

_Nah. Save it for tomorrow_ , he decided, opting for his small messenger bag where he kept a notebook for taking down any necessary information that Principal Danson might throw his way today. He pushed a pair of sunglasses up onto his face, pulled on his leather jacket even though the weather was warm, and was out the door right on time.

***

Orientation was being held in the gymnasium. It was far too big of a space but it was the only one that could comfortably fit all the teachers of Haddonfield Memorial High School at once. A big white banner that read “Welcome back, students and staff!” in colourful block letters hung above the metal double doors to the gym. Upon pushing them open with a bit of a grunt, Gerard saw that there were folding chairs lined up neatly to face the front where Principal Danson would stand as she led the meeting as usual. The sharp smell of the lemon-scented cleaner that the janitor used instantly went up his nose, causing it to wrinkle reflexively. White-bright sunlight beamed in from the clear windows that ran across the tops of the gym walls, reflecting off the recently polished wooden floor. Gerard also noticed that over the summer, the colourful lines that divided the gym for sports had been painted over with a fresh layer, just waiting to be scuffed up by the sneakers of excited high schoolers. He sighed, bringing his thermos of still-warm coffee to his lips as he surveyed the room. Thankfully, he noticed that he wasn’t the first one to arrive. In one corner of the room stood Principal Danson herself, quietly chatting with a tall, lean man who Gerard didn’t recognize. He wore slim-fit black sweatpants and clean sneakers. Gerard hummed to himself quietly but figured he wouldn’t have to wait too long to find out who this mysterious person was. The only other teacher in the gym was Mr. Iero, who had taken a seat off to the left side where he was also drinking from a reusable coffee mug and scribbling something intently in a binder.

For a brief moment, Gerard considered going to sit next to Mr. Iero - Frank, he remembered his first name was. He was a newer teacher. Gerard knew this because, well, he only could only recall catching a few fleeting glimpses of Frank in the crowded hallways amongst the students and occasionally sitting with a few other staff members in the teachers’ lounge last year; and he could remember all of the other teachers’ first names without a moment’s hesitation. He studied him from where he still stood, trying to decide where he wanted to sit. Looking over at Frank again, he noticed that he was wearing straight leg black slacks that were cuffed neatly at the ankles, with a charcoal button-up shirt and black tweed blazer. He now had the tip of his pen in his mouth and was looking down at his binder intently. Gerard had absolutely no idea what he could have possibly written down in there that could be so absorbing before orientation had even started.

He realized he had been standing there for far too long. Giving his head a shake, he went to go grab a seat that wasn’t incredibly far away from Frank, but not close enough that he would be pulled into conversation with him right away. As he lowered himself down into the uncomfortable seat, he heard the sounds of the metal double doors banging open, announcing the arrival of other teachers. Frank looked up quickly at the sound, the tip of his pen still hanging slightly off his bottom lip. He noticed Gerard in his proximity and lifted his hand in a polite wave, a smile spread across his face. Gerard mirrored his action, then shrugged off his leather jacket. He pulled his notebook out of his messenger bag and attempted to look at least a little busy, unconsciously spurred on by Frank’s earlier scribbling.

Some time passed before the sound of Principal Danson clearing her throat and gently clapping her hands together made him look up from his paper. He had only written down the day’s date. Frank removed his pen from his mouth and looked at Principal Danson expectantly, his hands folding in his lap. He stood out so clearly as a newer teacher, as those who had been teaching for many years mostly just looked bored and impatient to get the morning over with. 

“Welcome back to another school year everyone,” Principal Danson said, trying to sound as chipper as possible. “I know we don’t officially start until tomorrow, but anyway, welcome.”

She began orientation with that same sentence every year.

“Now, before we get into the usual agenda items, I wanted to introduce you all to the person standing next to me.” She gestured to the lean man next to her who smiled and nodded.

“This is Mr. Philip Rollins,” she said. “He’s going to be the new gym teacher this year, for all levels.”

Mr. Rollins smiled wide. “Yes, thank you Principal Danson. I’m very excited to be here at Haddonfield Memorial.”

“Tell us about yourself and your plans for the year.”

“Absolutely. I taught at a high school in Philly for over a decade. This is my passion, and it’s been shown time and time again through the successes I’ve had with every high sports team I’ve ever coached. And this year is going to be no different.” He paused, assumedly for dramatic effect. “This year, I have managed to secure massive funding for the Haddonfield Memorial High sports teams. We’re going to get new equipment, new apparel, better marketing for the teams and upcoming games, all the good stuff. I’m going to put this school on the _map_ , let me tell ya. Everyone will know this school’s name in the world of high school sports after I’m done with it.” He flashed another smile, his eyes scanning over the crowd of teachers expectantly as if awaiting a round of applause. It never came, but it got a few semi-enthusiastic head nods.

Principal Danson stepped forward. “Which brings me to another important announcement…” She winced slightly, as if anticipating an oncoming attack. “Due to us deciding to funnel much of this year’s budget into our sports programs, we have made the difficult decision of cutting back funding in other areas, namely uh...the arts and music programs.”

At this, both Frank and Gerard’s heads shot up simultaneously. Gerard cleared his throat and made a motion to raise his hand before deciding against it and letting his arm fall limply at his side.

“Mr. Way, was there something you wanted to add?”

“Yeah, uh. About the funding …” He lost his nerve after seeing every pair of eyes in the room turn on him, though his skin was still prickling with irritation. He fought the urge to shout obscenities at Principal Danson and the new gym teacher as they stared down at him awkwardly. “Can we discuss this after orientation, please? I’d like to have a word.”

Principal Danson nodded quickly, as if she were already looking forward to having that future conversation done with. “Of course. See me in my office after we’re done here.”

Gerard hardly paid any attention to the rest of the orientation. Truthfully, he didn’t have to. It was the same information year after year minus the funding wrench being thrown into the mix this time. Every now and then, he would look up anxiously, unable to focus on a word Principal Danson was saying. Most of the teachers looked bored, others were taking down diligent notes and asking questions every now and then. The only other person who seemed as distressed as him was Mr. Iero - Frank. The tip of his pen was back in his mouth and he was clearly trying to mask the fact that he was chewing on it. Every now and then, Frank would catch Gerard’s eye and one of them would quickly look away.

Before long, after various discussions about the new school lunch program, dress code rules, and minor curriculum changes, orientation concluded and the majority of the teachers filed out of the gymnasium as quickly as their feet would carry them, eager to make the best of what was left of their final day of summer vacation. Gerard hung back, collecting his belongings so he could make his way to Principal Danson’s office. Frank seemed like he was mentally agonizing over whether or not to try and casually stick around as well or book it out of the building with the rest of the crowd. He didn’t feel as though it was his place to make a grand statement about his budget being cut in favour of the sports programs and he certainly didn’t feel comfortable striding up to Gerard and making himself a potentially unwanted teammate in the situation. He briefly considered hanging around to talk to the principal after Gerard but he felt that would look even more bizarre. Eventually, he got tired of the back and forth in his head, feeling sweat start to moisten the underarms of his new blazer. Maybe he would just have a chat with her tomorrow.

As Principal Danson made her way to her office, motioning for Gerard to follow her, Frank ultimately packed up the rest of his things and fumbled around his bag for his car keys. He didn’t want to intrude, especially since Gerard looked particularly upset. His two cents could wait for another time. He followed them out through the gym double doors and walked briskly out the front door into the warm September sunshine. Gerard and the principal turned the corner to his left.

Gerard cleared his throat as the door to the office closed behind him. Principal Danson sat down at her desk and folded her hands on top of the mahogany surface.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Way?”

He adjusted his tie and stood up a little straighter.

“About the budget…”

She nodded solemnly, having mentally prepared for this uncomfortable conversation already the night before.

“It’s completely unfair. The arts departments _need_ our budgets for our own special projects. I had planned to keep my after school book club for my students going this year since they all loved it so much the last two years. How will I get the money to purchase books for the kids with a slashed budget?”

Principal Danson sighed and looked out her office window. Her expression read that she would really rather be anywhere else and having any other conversation. Gerard waited patiently, his left eyebrow raised.

“We really want to focus on the sports this year, Mr. Way. I know it isn’t convenient for other departments but think of all the students who have been waiting for a shot at really succeeding in school athletics. It can mean the future for some of these kids and we should have focused on it earlier, quite frankly.”

“I understand that but what about the kids who rely on arts-centred extracurriculars for socialization and general enjoyment who are going to have their programs taken away now? Don’t they matter as much as the sports kids?” 

“Of _course_ they do, but this is the reality, Gerard. You know this, budgets and funding are resources that dry up very quickly.”

“So that’s it, then? Are there no other options?”

Principal Danson rubbed her temples, her stares out the office window becoming increasingly longing and impatient. She chuckled a bit, as if she barely believed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

“There _are_ , if you’re willing to go about them. You can potentially do your own fundraiser, but it would be a completely independent effort. Myself and the rest of the administration couldn’t do anything except show up to whatever event you come up with.”

Gerard’s mouth opened to protest but he stopped himself and considered her words for a moment. The thought of having to plan and organize a whole fundraiser for basic materials he _should_ have had access to this year regardless was enough to initiate a throb in his temples. This year was already getting under his skin and it hadn’t even officially started yet.

He brought his hand up to his face and scratched his chin, not knowing what else to say and wanting to do anything to occupy his hands so they wouldn’t hang in defeat by his sides. He knew he wasn’t going to win this one. The bureaucracy battle had been lost long before he knew it had even started.

“Alright well, uh...that’s something to think about, I suppose. Thank you for your time, Principal Danson,” he said flatly.

She winced, as if his resignation to the situation had caused her pain somehow. “I realize how tough this is, Mr. Way, but I hope you understand the situation we’re in.”

 _Right. The situation where kids’ joy of reading is thrown under the bus for some shiny sports trophies,_ he thought bitterly to himself.

“Yeah. Thanks. See you tomorrow,” he responded, trying to keep his tone neutral. Getting Principal Danson on his bad side wouldn’t accomplish anything.

Gerard quickly exited her office, trying to shake the heaviness of disappointment and defeat off his shoulders. His shoes squeaked on the freshly waxed linoleum floors as he turned the corner towards the doors that he had come in from. He stopped himself as he stared down the hallway that led to the dozen classrooms on the first floor of Haddonfield Memorial. For a brief second, he basked in the sound of the silence, the clean floors, and the sparkling glass of the graduation picture frames that lined the walls. 

He knew in just a few days, the floors would be scuffed up from kids’ sneakers, the picture frames would have greasy fingerprints all over them, and the quiet would be replaced with the sound of loud teenage conversations, people shouting over one another to be heard, raucous laughter during recess that momentarily relieved some of the stress of study. He suddenly felt excited despite the sadness he felt about the imminent fate of his book club. But for now, he took a second to enjoy the pristine state of the building. Then he turned on his heel and walked back out into the late September morning.


	2. TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! Thank you all so much for the kudos and lovely comments I've already received. You all made me smile :')
> 
> I'm gonna try to make Thursday my update day! I'll do my absolute best to stay consistent <3
> 
> Hope you all enjoy the next chapter!

# TWO

A knot of anxiety in his stomach woke Gerard the next morning. His alarm hadn’t even gone off yet and his eyes were already fluttering open. A single beam of sunlight peeked in through his curtains.

_At least it’ll be sunny today_ , Gerard thought grumpily to himself. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes then letting his head drop into his hands. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders back, searching for any spark of excitement within him to counteract the bitter taste that still remained in his mouth from yesterday. He imagined standing in front of his classroom of new ninth grade students, eagerness bubbling up inside them at the prospect of what a new school year could bring and anxious to see their friends. Gerard always favoured the first day of classes when he tried to get a read on new faces while his students from years past would greet him warmly in the halls on their way to encounter their own new teachers. He tried to bask in that feeling of a fresh start to cement over the stress. He really did love his job and he had to keep reminding himself that everything he did was for the kids; and what he wasn’t able to do was often simply not in his control. They knew he did his best.

No - he wouldn’t let yet Mr. Rollins and the unfair state of the massive underfunding of public schools ruin the first day of the school year for him. Principal Danson’s words from yesterday about fundraising whispered to his subconscious mind but he ignored it. If he thought about it too much, he knew he would send himself into a full-blown panic attack. As he was giving himself a mental pep talk, muttering under his breath, he heard the front door open and shut downstairs as his brother left for his own work day. The house had been quiet before as Mikey had the light step of a hummingbird and was always extremely deliberate and efficient in his actions. But now Gerard really felt the weight of the silence threatening to shatter his already fragile sense of calm. He shook himself out of the negative feeling as much as he could and got out of bed. Giving one final big stretch of his entire body, he forced a smile on his face - that was supposed to actually make you feel better, right? - and headed downstairs for his coffee and breakfast.

***

Frank gripped the steering wheel much harder than was necessary. His entire body felt tightly coiled like a spring; he was sure if anyone were to touch him in any way, he would jump right out of his skin. He had been up most of the night agonizing over whether or not he wanted to have a chat with Principal Danson about the budget cuts at any point today. Being in his second year of teaching caused Frank to doubt himself a lot. Between flip flopping between imposter syndrome and his general inability to ever do anything that he felt would inconvenience other people, he often found himself frustrated at being unable to come out of his shell with the other teachers.

But this year was supposed to be different. Frank had had an entire plan to purchase a few new instruments for his students. Last year, the students had expressed their frustration about not having “cool instruments.” And Frank had wanted to change that now because getting people, especially teenagers, excited about music brought him the most joy in the world. Just the mental image of his ninth and tenth grade classes jamming on some good quality guitars, maybe some good drums, was enough to make his heart soar with glee.

Then yesterday’s bad news had come, and with it, his dreams of new instruments came crashing down. At least he didn’t seem to be the only one. Mr. Way, a ninth grade English teacher, had been just as frazzled as him. He was relieved when he took up the reins to speak with Principal Danson, of course. If he hadn’t, Frank would have been agonizing over speaking to her himself twice as hard this morning. He was curious to know how that conversation had gone. Maybe if he could muster up some nerve, he could visit Mr. Way’s classroom and casually ask about it. He also didn’t want to bother him though; they had barely ever spoken since Frank had begun teaching at Haddonfield Memorial.

He gripped the steering wheel again, annoyed with himself. The battle of doing something and not doing something continued to rage inside his brain as his car turned the corner onto Haddonfield Memorial’s street.

***

Despite having gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning, Gerard couldn’t help but smile as he walked through the double doors to the high school.

There were a few gaggles of students gathered together in the hallways, old friends reuniting and laughing together, skirts and pants perfectly ironed to give a good first day back impression. Some of the kids would throw nervous glances towards the classroom doors occasionally, no doubt wondering who else they would be sharing their homeroom with and if their teachers would be cool. You could feel the anticipation and nervous excitement in the air.

Gerard snuck a glance towards Principal Danson’s office and saw that Mr. Rollins was in there with her, casually leaning against the door and chatting. He fought off the wave of annoyance that crept up his spine and began heading towards his own classroom, eager to spend some time alone in there setting up before the swaths of new kids crossed the threshold.

His dress shoes squeaked on the polished floors and his briefcase bumped against his thigh as he walked down the hallways, giving polite nods to a few former students that he recognized. Mostly though, they were too absorbed in conversations with friends to notice him. He envied them a little bit. By the time he was a few doors away, he heard rapid footsteps coming up behind him and an excited voice saying “Mr. Way!”

He recognized the voice as soon as he heard it and he turned around with a smile on his face.

“Avery! How are you? How was your summer?”

She looked up at him with big, grey eyes that were a bit too tired for someone her age. Her school dress pants were slightly creased in comparison to the other students in the hallway.

“It was okay! I saw my friends but I spent most of my time reading. I was so looking forward to going back to school so we could have the book club again!”

Gerard’s heart lurched in his chest. He forced the smile to stay on his face as he looked down at his former, admittedly favourite, student. He found himself completely unable to just nod enthusiastically, his stomach twisting at how eager she looked and how he might have to disappoint her. 

“Me too, Avery. It’s what I’ve been looking forward to most about the new school year.”

She clasped her hands excitedly in front of her.

“I can’t wait! I’ll be the first to sign up.”

Gerard chuckled. “Oh, I know you will.”

She laughed and turned to go back to her friend that was waiting behind her, waving over her shoulder. “Bye, Mr. Way!”

“Bye, Avery,” he responded, not letting his smile waver until she was completely gone. He knew the decision for what he had to do had just been made for him.

***

Frank’s classroom felt even more empty now that the prospect of filling it within new instruments had been snatched away. He sighed, shifting his messenger bag strap on his shoulder as the hum of the fluorescent lights greeted him.

He moved to sit down at his wooden desk, dropping his bag to the floor and lightly shoving it with his foot underneath. He put his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in his hands. It was quiet, as his classroom was down in the basement. Still, there was a window in the top corner of the wall that faced his desk and some light from the outside filtered in, illuminating some dust that floated in the air.

His eyes moved to the damaged plastic keyboard that sat in the far corner of the room, then to the few snare drums piled next to it. A couple of second-hand acoustic guitars leaned against the wall to his right, and finally there was a pile of plastic recorders that he had placed in a drawer before summer vacation. Frank mourned the possibility of announcing to his students that they would be getting some better, cooler instruments this year. Their eyes would have lit up and he would have felt his chest swell at their excitement.

Instead now, the dilapidated instruments that were already here seemed to laugh at him, taunting his failed effort to replace them. He clenched his hand into a fist and tried again to work up an ounce of courage to go after what he wanted and what those kids deserved.

***

Even though he still felt an undercurrent of sadness in his body, Gerard was thrilled when his new homeroom students started filing into the classroom. He had been fighting off the urge to begin chewing on his fingernails when groups of ninth grade students gingerly passed through his door, darting around the classroom to find seats with whichever friends they were with. Some who had come in alone quietly found seats far away from those who had gathered in groups. Gerard knew he was about to crush them when they found out about his pre-planned seating arrangement, but he would let them have their chosen seats for the first day.

He went over the syllabus for the year, making sure to establish his usual “I’m friendly and understanding but I’m also your teacher so don’t try anything funny with me” demeanour. There had to be balance and he wanted them to know that. Thankfully, the majority of them seemed happy to be there and he got more hands raised for questions than he usually did on the first day.

By the time recess rolled around, Gerard was annoyed and exhausted from the nagging thoughts about the budget cuts and how he could potentially overcome them. Any time he had a spare second to think of anything in terms of fundraising like Principal Danson had suggested, his brain just turned into a huge question mark. He was creative in a lot of ways, but event-planning was not one of them; especially not for events that would potentially just crash and burn.

He thought back to orientation yesterday and the image of Mr. Iero’s - Frank’s - face materialized in his head. Frank had looked as anxious and distressed about the budget cuts as he had. He had left pretty quickly afterwards even though he looked like he had wanted to say something on the matter as well. Maybe…

Gerard wracked his brain. What did Frank teach again? Music. That made sense. The music department received one of the least amounts of funding every year, which was preposterous given how expensive instruments are. No other teacher had looked even remotely bothered by the news of the budget cuts, so they clearly weren’t going to be involved nor interested in anything Gerard had to say about any kind of fundraising. But maybe Frank would. They barely knew each other but at the end of the day they were both teachers who wanted the best for their students. He should at least go talk to him and see what his situation was.

He almost lost his nerve until the memory of Avery’s excited face when she spoke about the book club came back to him. He steeled himself. It was worth a try, even just for the handful of students that this would mean something to. He vowed to go talk to Frank after school as the bell rang, signalling the end of recess.

***

The remainder of the day passed quickly but uneventfully. At lunch, Gerard had sat with some other English teachers who taught different grades, none of them seeming to be too bothered by the funding situation. Then again, none of them had any activities or clubs that they organized that would require additional funding anyway. Sometimes he felt like he cared way too much about his students and making school fun for them. But really, he loved it as well. He loved picking out material for them to read and he loved discussing themes and plots with them, seeing some of the brightest of the kids at Haddonfield in their element. It made him feel fulfilled as a teacher. 

He scanned the room and noticed Mr. Rollins sitting at a table with a bunch of teachers and staff, speaking animatedly with his hands, clearly commanding the conversation. Gerard fought off the scowl that he felt twitching at the corners of his mouth. He also noticed Frank sitting with one other person, a tenth-grade science teacher, having a much more quiet conversation. He looked anxious and preoccupied.

At one point, he glanced up from the sandwich he was eating and caught Gerard’s eye, like he had in the gym yesterday. And also like yesterday, Gerard averted his eyes quickly. There would be time to talk later.

***

Since it was the first day, Gerard allowed the students in his final period to spend the last 10 minutes of the day doing whatever they pleased, provided that they kept their voices down and behaved well.

“Don’t get used to this - things are going to get really serious tomorrow,” he had joked, getting up from his chair to erase the writing on the chalkboard. 

The students all nodded enthusiastically, some getting up to go convene and chat quietly with friends, others pulling novels or sketchbooks out of their bags to read or draw in peace. He smiled to himself as he sat down at his desk and took out his own notebook, trying to brainstorm ideas for a fundraiser. He wrecked his mind with no success until the shrill bell rang, signalling the end of the first day. He breathed a sigh of relief. One down, over a hundred more to go.

“Have a good day class! I’ll see you all tomorrow,” he said over the noise of thirty kids packing up their stuff and many more outside his door banging open their lockers and shouting across the corridor. 

He got his things together in his briefcase quickly, not wanting to accidentally miss Frank before he left. He hurried out the classroom door and locked it behind him. Turning on his heel, he wedged through teenage bodies towards the staircase that led to the basement. Shoes squeaking on the floor, he turned to his left as he reached the bottom of the stairs. It was noticeably quieter down here as there were way less lockers than upstairs. And down here, the floors were made of stone rather than linoleum. Gerard sometimes felt as though he had entered another building completely whenever he had to venture down to the basement.

The door to the music room was still ajar. When he saw this, Gerard slowed his steps a bit, not wanting to bust through Frank’s classroom door like a bat out of hell and scare him.

He stopped right outside the door and adjusted his tie. Truthfully, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to say but starting a conversation was the hardest part. Clearing his throat quietly, he stepped inside the music room, seeing Frank still sitting at his desk, absorbed in a pile of papers before him. Gerard knocked on the wall to get his attention.

Frank jolted slightly, startled at the unexpected intrusion. He looked taken aback to see Gerard standing in his doorway.

“Mr. Way? Hello, is there…something I can do for you?”

Gerard shoved his hands into his pockets, suddenly aware of the fact that he was on the spot. It was just the two of them in this quiet basement room and he was the only one there who’d be able to make his case.

“Yeah, uh...it’s Gerard, by the way. You can just call me Gerard,” he said hurriedly, wanting to get the formalities over with. “I’m here because, well this might sound weird but I was thinking I could use your help. And maybe you could use mine.”

Frank looked up at him skeptically and placed his pen down on the stack of papers before him. Gerard followed the motion, noticing the curl of a tattoo on his wrist peeking out from the cuff of his forest green blazer.

“Is that so?” Frank asked. He was fairly certain he knew what Gerard was getting at. A little ball of hope and anticipation began to swell in his chest.

Gerard scratched at the back of his head thoughtfully.

“Look, you were there when those budget cuts were announced yesterday. Out of everyone else in that gym, you were the only one who looked as shaken as I felt. I went to go talk to Principal Danson afterwards, as I’m sure you noticed. She basically said there’s nothing we can do short of coming up with the money ourselves that we need by doing a fundraiser or something.”

_A fundraiser? That’s an option?_ Frank thought to himself.

“I was really looking forward to getting new instruments for my students this year,” Frank said, even though Gerard hadn’t asked. He gestured around the room with his hand, an awkward smile on his face. “As you can see, our current setup is pretty, well, pathetic.”

Gerard chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not really much to look at. You could definitely use some new gear.”

“You’re telling me.” Frank gave a small smile in spite of himself.

“So, what do you say?”

Frank studied Gerard for a moment. This was his out. He wouldn’t have to talk to Principal Danson himself and he could still have a shot at getting the new instruments that he so desperately wanted to give his students.

He stood up from his desk. “What did you have in mind?”

***

They ended up in Gerard’s classroom after a mostly silent trip up to the first floor. It was less dim than Frank’s music room.

Gerard sat down behind his desk and Frank grabbed a chair from the first row of desks, dragging it over to sit in front of him.

“Have you ever done one of these before? A fundraiser, I mean?” Frank asked.

Grimacing, Gerard grabbed a notepad and pen from his desk drawer. “Nope.”

Frank chuckled. “Okay, neither have I, but maybe if we put our heads together, we can come up with half a good idea.”

“Bake sale?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way Gerard, but we’re gonna need more than cupcakes to raise money for instruments and...what is it that you need the funds for, anyway?”

“Oh, I do this book club with the eighth, ninth, and tenth graders every year. I need money to buy the books.”

Frank smiled. “That’s really great. I would have killed to have a book club like that when I was in high school.”

“If only the school saw it that way.”

“Well, I definitely see it that way. We’ll get you those books. Not to sway you but you should definitely read Catcher in the Rye with the kids.”

Gerard smiled back at him. “Did that one last year.”

“You’ve got taste.”

There was a comfortable silence before Frank remembered they were supposed to be brainstorming.

“Okay, so a better idea than cupcakes then...what about like, a talent show or something like that?”

Gerard considered the idea, tapping his pen against his chin.

“That’s not a bad idea actually. Maybe with like, a raffle or something? People can buy tickets to win prizes after the show.”

Nodding enthusiastically, Frank jotted the idea down in his own notebook.

“Okay, and in that case we’d need donations from people I guess, right? Maybe we can send out an email to staff and parents, see if anyone wants to give for the raffle? I’m sure they’d be into it knowing it will benefit their kids.”

Gerard wrinkled his nose. He appreciated Frank’s positivity but he had little hope that people cared that much about extracurriculars and fancy instruments. But it was worth a try.

He snuck a look at the clock above his doorway then turned back to Frank.

“How much time have you got?”

“All the time in the world, I guess? I was planning to go see a friend after work but there’s no rush.”

“Okay well, I think we should hammer out a first draft email to send to the parents and staff. What do you say?”

“Definitely. Let’s get this train rolling. Oh, here.” Frank reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a laptop. He flipped it open and began typing.

They worked for an hour and a half, bouncing back and forth between emailing drafting and planning out logistics for their potential talent show and raffle fundraiser. They decided to go speak with Principal Danson about it by the end of the week so they could work out the bureaucratic details. As quickly as it seemed to be coming together, they both knew that there was a long road ahead. But it was worth their best shot.

By the time they exited the front doors of the school, golden hour was already setting in.

“Where are you headed?” Gerard asked as they hit the bottom steps.

“My car is a couple blocks down. I wasn’t lucky enough to get a spot in the staff parking this morning,” Frank said sheepishly.

“Alright well, I guess see you tomorrow then. We can go over some more stuff after school if you want?”

Frank felt weirdly excited about staying at work late to plan a fundraiser. “Yeah. Sounds like a plan.”

They waved before going their separate ways, both of them feeling a small bit of hope for what was to come.


	3. THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update day!!! This chapter is going to introduce new characters as well as new dynamics. The backgrounds for those will be addressed later on in the fic ;)
> 
> Thank you all so much for being here and I hope you enjoy!  
> xo

# THREE

Gerard was overjoyed to see that his brother had started making dinner when he walked through the front door. Hanging his keys on the hook by the door, he made an exaggerated sound of happiness so that Mikey could hear him from the kitchen.

“Bless your soul, Mikey Way. Please tell me you made enough for both of us.”

Mikey snickered as he stirred a pot of tomato sauce at the stove. “Of course I did. What kind of monster do you think I am?”

Closing his eyes in relief, Gerard hung up his jacket before heading to the bathroom to wash his hands.

“How was school today?” Mikey called, raising his voice to be heard over the sound of the faucet running.

“It went well! The kids were nice,” he said, making a mental note to give his brother the rundown on the budget cuts situation as he entered the kitchen. They hadn’t a chance to talk about it the day before since Gerard had been preoccupied with sulking.

The harmonious smells of tomato, garlic, and oregano wafted towards him in greeting. He felt his mouth begin to water, the stress and activity of the day having taken more out of him than he realized.

He collapsed on a chair at the Way brothers’ small kitchen table. 

“So I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet about the fancy new gym teacher stealing all my funds,” he said, emphasizing the sarcasm on the word “fancy.”

Mikey chuckled. “You definitely didn’t. I would have remembered you telling me about a money-stealing gym teacher.”

Gerard told him the details, from the teacher orientation all the way through to meeting up with Frank earlier that day to brainstorm ideas for the fundraiser.

Mikey stirred the sauce pot thoughtfully. “Is this Frank guy new or something? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned him before.”

“It’s his second year teaching so yeah. Never really got a chance to talk to him much. He’s really cool though, and he has good ideas for the fundraiser. Hopefully we can make something resembling a competent event between the two of us.” 

His brother hummed affirmatively and turned his body briefly to reach for something in a cupboard. Gerard noticed he had forgotten to take his detective’s badge off his pants.

“What about you? Long day?” he inquired.

“How’d you know?”

Gerard laughed. “You forgot to take your badge off your pants, dude.”

Mikey groaned, fumbling to remove it and tossing it onto the table.

“Yeah, not a usual slow one today.”

Gerard nodded. “I feel that. How was your day, anyway? I feel like I’ve been talking your ear off about all my teacher problems.”

Mikey grabbed a pinch of salt to add to the boiling pasta water before responding. 

“There was a robbery at a corner store near the precinct. Some dirtbag grabbed a bunch of stuff like food and whatever before bolting. The shopkeeper was freaking out, their security cameras weren’t working and there was just tons of paperwork to do for it. Just a whole shit show.”

Frowning, Gerard traced a pattern on the table distractedly. “He took only food and no money from the store? Sounds like maybe he just wanted food.”

Rolling his eyes, Mikey continued to stare into the bubbly tomato sauce. His grip around the wooden spoon that stirred the contents of the pot tightened slightly.

“He’s a criminal, Gee. Nothing more to it than that.” He tried to end the conversation abruptly and diplomatically but Gerard felt inclined to defend this stranger.

“No offense Mikey but you’re kind of unable to put yourself in other people’s shoes. The intentions of others aren’t always as black and white as you think. What if he was just trying to feed himself or his family?”

Mikey was tired of having this conversation. “It’s literally my job to recognize and punish criminal intent. This is my day every day, Gerard. You haven’t seen or dealt with what I have.”

Is this what a broken record sounds like?

“I’m just saying, maybe some guy who steals only a bit of food and no money from a corner store isn’t the scum of the earth. Have a bit of compassion, dude.”

“Compassion isn’t in my job description,” Mikey said tightly, not fully intending for his response to come out as harshly as it had.

Gerard snorted, feeling the usual warmth of frustration spread across his chest that appeared whenever he and Mikey had some variation of this argument. “Yeah, you definitely don’t have to tell me that.”

Heavy silence filled the air as Mikey continued to cook for another few minutes. As he began switching off the burners, he grabbed two plates from the cupboard above his head. He set one aside for himself and piled on a heap of steaming spaghetti and sauce before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving the other plate on the counter empty.

“I’m gonna go eat in my room,” Mikey said, his voice tense and tired. He had already disappeared quietly upstairs before Gerard had even decided that he didn’t want to tell him to stay.

He sighed and got up to fix his own dinner plate. Sitting back down at the kitchen table, Gerard tried to ignore how loud the sound of his fork tapping against the porcelain plate echoed throughout the Way household, as if the whole place was holding its breath.

***

The sound of soft chatter and clinking glasses and the smell of beer mixed with hard liquor greeted Frank as he walked through the doors of McKeown’s Pub. The place wasn’t full at all, unsurprising for a Tuesday evening. A few groups of younger people who looked like they might have been in college were speaking the loudest at a booth in the corner. Middle-aged men sat mostly by themselves, watching whatever sports match was playing on the TV that night. 

Frank allowed himself a second to enjoy the ambiance before glancing over to the bar where his best friend Ray stood behind, wiping down the wooden counter with one hand and pouring a shot with the other.

He adjusted his messenger bag and walked over. Sensing Frank’s presence approaching the bar, Ray looked up from what he was doing and smiled at his friend. He lifted his hand that was still holding the rag and gestured a greeting. Frank made a beeline for an unoccupied stool that was on the left side of the bar and settled in, letting the bar sounds wrap around and relax him.

Ray strolled over to him casually, throwing the rag over his shoulder and raising an eyebrow at Frank. 

“Long day? Usually you’re here earlier.”

Frank sighed. “Yeah, there was a whole issue that I had to hang back and deal with for a bit. I’m stressed as fuck, dude.”

Ray clicked his tongue. “You don’t say. Any way I can help you blow off some steam?” he asked slightly suggestively, leaning in closer to Frank so the other patrons wouldn’t overhear.

In spite of himself, Frank blushed but rolled his eyes. 

“No, Ray. But thanks for the offer,” he responded sarcastically.

Ray smirked in response. “I’m just kidding, Frankie.”

And sure, he was. But he also wasn’t.

Frank ran a hand through his hair, looking at his friend. He suddenly felt the exhaustion of the whole day creeping into his bones. “Hey, you gonna get me a drink or what, bud? You know that’s what I’m here for,” he said jokingly.

Ray raised his hands in surrender. “My apologies, boss. Coming right up,” he said as he grabbed a pint glass from the bar and placed it under the beer tap. He filled it to the rim with a stout that he knew Frank liked. Their fingers brushed briefly as he slid the glass across the bar. Frank ignored that and brought the alcohol to his lips, taking a grateful gulp.

“So, what’s the big issue anyway? You didn’t say much when you texted me yesterday,” Ray said. Before Frank could answer, he held up a finger and rushed over to another customer at the end of the bar to give him a refill.

When he returned, Frank responded without missing a beat. 

“Budget cuts from the arts. Some slick new gym teacher is starting this year and now they wanna funnel as much money as they can into the sports programs. No more for us lowly, unimportant art teachers.” Just remembering this fact made Frank’s hand tighten in frustration around the cold pint class.

A pained look crossed Ray’s face. He didn’t really know how shitty the situation was, not really, but he knew how much Frank loved his job and his students. He had been talking all summer about the instruments he planned to purchase, his hands waving around animatedly as he chatted with excitement. It had made Ray so happy to see him like that.

“I’m sorry, man. That really sucks.” He knew offering advice wasn’t what Frank needed. And no advice he would give could be much help anyway. He was, after all, only a bartender. Sympathetic words were often good enough for Frank though.

Frank shrugged. “Well...maybe my luck will turn. I stayed after school a bit today so we could discuss some plans to potentially have a fundraiser. We’ll see what happens, I guess.”

“Oh yeah, huh? I’m sure a bunch of the other teachers must be pissed too.”

Swallowing down another gulp of beer, Frank briefly considered correcting him. It wasn’t a “bunch of teachers”, just him and Gerard. But he knew how Ray could be sometimes. The thought of Frank chumming it up with some other guy that he didn't know wouldn’t exactly thrill him. So he let him believe there was a gaggle of other enraged people at the fore with him in a fight for educational justice. Not just him and Gerard, alone in a classroom, laughing and throwing ideas around just the two of them.

“Yeah. It’s affecting a lot of people. We might have a plan for a talent show and raffle but still not totally sure yet. It’s just completely unfair that it needs to be dealt with at all.”

Ray nodded solemnly. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Frankie. And obviously if there’s anything I can do to help in any way, you know I’ll do it.”

Frank looked up at his friend earnestly. He knew that he meant it. God knows Ray had been there by Frank’s side thousands of other times in his life, and for things much smaller than helping out with a school fundraiser.

“I know, man. Thanks.”

“Hey, can I get another beer over here?” a patron grumbled a few seats away from Frank.

“Duty calls,” Ray mumbled, plastering on his best customer service smile and striding over to the patron who was holding out his mug impatiently.

_Man, how is dealing with high schoolers easier than dealing with bar patrons?_ , Frank thought amusedly to himself, taking another generous sip of his drink, feeling the warmth of a buzz beginning to spread through his chest and up his shoulders.

He vowed to let this be his only drink of the night, wanting to have a clear head at work the next day. He and Gerard had a lot of event planning to get started on.


	4. FOUR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kudos and lovely comments on my last chapter! Enjoy this week's <3

# FOUR

Frank felt like he was barely able to catch a breath. Between actually teaching, which included fumbling in trying to make sure each of his students had a chance to play _something_ , and thinking about the fundraiser, he felt like his brain was running a constant marathon.

By the time recess rolled around a few days later, he knew he needed to just sit at his desk for those 20 minutes and be by himself. But he also needed to grab a drink from the vending machine. A sugar boost was probably what he needed to get through the hump of teaching before lunch. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn’t see Mr. Rollins walking by his classroom room and smacked right into him as he hurried out into the hallway.

Mr. Rollins grunted in surprise, looking down at the other teacher that had just ran into him. He smiled awkwardly as Frank tried to collect himself, sputtering an apology.

“You in a bit of a rush there, Mr...uh...I’m sorry I don’t think we’ve properly met yet. I’m Mr. Rollins.” He made no move to extend his hand for a shake, just stood there looking at Frank amusedly.

Now Frank was annoyed rather than flustered. “Iero. Mr. Iero.” He didn’t attempt to shake the other man’s hand either.

Mr. Rollins nodded. He had the air of a man who thought very highly of himself, standing proud and tall.

“I see. Mr. Iero. Well, good to meet you,” he said coolly, turning to walk away.

“Hey, you know you really screwed over a lot of us this year.” The words left Frank’s mouth before he had even fully thought about them. He regretted them instantly and damned his exhausted brain for jumping the gun on sending thoughtless words out into the open.

Turning on his heel slowly to look at Frank, Mr. Rollins narrowed his eyes. Frank fully realized how much taller he was compared to him. 

“Beg your pardon?” he asked, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes playing on his lips.

Frank was frozen, trying to wrack his brain for any semblance of an appropriate response to the stupid words he had just said. He was coming up empty, the pause between Mr. Rollins’ question and his expected response becoming more prolonged and awkward.

“Yeah, I-I mean...you know us arts teachers need funding for things too and you, uh, y-you kind of used it all up for your sports plans.” He was fully aware of how incoherent and pathetic he sounded, but staying silent wasn’t exactly an option with the other teacher’s glare boring directly into him.

Mr. Rollins made an amused huffing sound, eyeing Frank with a look of both pity and exasperation. It made his skin burn. He wasn’t a petulant child, he was a grown man and a _teacher_ who had the right to feel slighted by his school year plans being derailed.

“Well, I’m very sorry you feel that way, however…”

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before the sound of a new pair of shoes clicking and squeaking on the floor approached them. Rounding the corner, Frank noticed Gerard heading straight for his class. He looked surprised to see the two other teachers engaged in what looked like a heated discussion.

“Hey, Frank. I was just coming to talk to you about the...thing. Is everything okay?” A look of concern crossed his face.

“Yeah, uh…”

“It didn’t seem fine a minute ago, did it?” Mr. Rollins mumbled under his breath.

“I’m sorry?” Gerard asked, raising an eyebrow.

The gym teacher cleared his throat. “Well, apparently I’ve screwed over a lot of people this year with my ambitious plans for Haddonfield Memorial’s athletics programs.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Gerard’s eyes shot over to Frank, whose face was now shadowed with an intense red blush of embarrassment.

“Listen, I’m sure this was all a misunderstanding. There’s no reason we can’t just let this go and move on with our day, yeah?” Gerard said, his voice diplomatic as hell. He moved in closer to Frank, standing firmly at his side.

“Right...I’m very busy now anyway. Have a good day, gentlemen,” Mr. Rollins said, his back already turned to them as he walked stiffly towards the staircase leading back to the first floor.

Frank exhaled loudly, bringing his hands up over his eyes.

“I can’t believe I said that...I wasn’t fucking thinking,” he moaned regrettably.

Gerard clicked his tongue in disapproval but smiled. “Yeah, maybe let’s try to think before we tell off scary, fancy gym teachers huh, Frank? Now come on, there’s a couple of things I wanna go over with you before we get back to it after school.”

Frank internally mourned the loss of his solo recess recharge time. But hanging out with Gerard for a bit instead wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

***

“Alright, I’m just about done with this draft…” Gerard mumbled absentmindedly as Frank returned from the teacher’s lounge with two hot cups of mediocre coffee.

They had been hard at work for an hour after the final bell had rung for the day and had decided to hole up in Frank’s classroom as opposed to Gerard’s. The eerie silence of the basement provided a surprisingly peaceful atmosphere for their planning.

Frank chuckled. “It’s really amazing to me how quickly this is getting done. We’re like masterminds,” he said, handing one of the cups over to Gerard, who took it gratefully. He took a sip and winced slightly.

“We have to be if we’re gonna get our funds in time to salvage what’s left of the year. God, this coffee sucks. One of these days, I’ll have to get us some good stuff for these planning sessions. I think we deserve it.”

“I’ll take you up on that offer,” Frank said, smiling and sitting back down next to him. “For real though, this is great.”

“It’s not _completely_ done yet but yeah, we’re kinda killing it, right?”

“Totally.”

Both Frank and Gerard took a moment to sit back and admire their work. It really had felt like they had been in a genius frenzy. Maybe it was the ambiance of the basement, maybe it was the pressure of the ticking clock in both their heads, but they had essentially drawn up the plan for the entire talent show. It was going to be a pretty short notice event but, for two people who had never planned so much as a surprise party on their own, they were proud of themselves.

At the start of the next week, they would hold auditions during lunch and after school for whoever wanted to participate. It wouldn’t take more than a couple of days and by the end of week, they would make a decision as to who would be up on the ballot. The talent show would take place three weeks after decisions had been made, giving the students enough time to prepare, but not too much time that they would have to go longer than they had to without their funding. Tickets would be sold to families, teachers and staff of Haddonfield Memorial and other students who wanted to see their friends perform.

But the crucial aspect was going to be the raffle. Talent show tickets sales weren’t going to cut it so they knew that they needed to have some damn good items up for the raffle that people would buy tickets for.

Gerard scratched his chin. “So, we have the draft email for the parents to see if they have anything they want to contribute. I know a lot of these people work at fancy places or have connections to gift shops where they can get baskets. It’ll be good but we need more…” He made a face as if he was about to say something incredibly painful.

“I was going through some of my things last night and saw some signed comic books that I have. They’re definitely worth a reasonable chunk and I’m willing to part with a few that I’ve grown out of. It sucks, but hey. Sacrifices.”

Frank looked at him in awe. Gerard was obviously willing to go the extra mile to better their chances of raising the money they both needed. He had to be willing to do the same, even if it was difficult beyond measure.

“I, uh...have some signed guitars at my place. Not by superstar rock legends or anything but by people well-known in the punk rock scene, so people might be interested. I’m willing to say goodbye to at least one of them.”

Gerard really wanted to comfort Frank in that moment. He knew how hard it was to part with valuable possessions, especially things so close to the heart like his signed comics. He also felt a strong surge of gratitude; Gerard needed the money for books which, while they were important and expensive, wouldn’t break the bank as much as new instruments would.

“I hope some of these parents are into punk,” Gerard said jokingly.

Frank grinned, running a hand through his dark hair. His shirt sleeve fell a bit and Gerard noticed that tattoo curl on his wrist and forearm again. He fought an urge to ask to see it. 

“There’s gotta be at least _one_ or two, man.”

“Who do you have, anyway?”

“I’ve got two signed by Doyle from the Misfits and a couple more from less mainstream bands. I’m keeping one Doyle for myself though, I’m not that generous.”

Gerard laughed. “Well, you’ve got good taste in music too.”

“You’re damn right,” Frank said, smirking.

There was a beat of silence and then Gerard glanced over at Frank.

“You’re not gonna like what I have to say next, though.”

Frank groaned. “How does the bad news just keep coming?”

“Well, logistics wise, if we want as many people to come while also keeping our own costs low, we’re gonna need a big space. I was thinking we should use the gym.”

Frank sighed, letting his head drop back against his seat. His eyes closed for the briefest moment.

“So, what you’re saying is we need to go and beg Mr. Rollins to use his space for our event that he basically forced us to have to throw because he took all our money.”

“Please don’t put it in those exact words when we go talk to him. But yeah.”

“Wonderful.” Frank turned his head and looked directly at Gerard. He couldn’t help but notice the hazel colour of them. “Do you know if he’s still around this late?”

Shrugging, Gerard moved to stand up. “I guess we better go find out.”

***

They were lucky. Despite the quietness of the empty school building, Frank and Gerard weren’t alone. In the gymnasium office, Mr. Rollins sat in his swivel chair talking quietly on the phone, his back turned to them.

Frank looked at Gerard and gave him a nudge. Gerard turned to him.

Gesturing towards the gym teacher, Frank mouthed silently _Knock on the doorframe._

Gerard’s eyebrows knit together. _You knock!_ he mouthed back.

_Please? I’m pretty sure he hates me._ Frank gave his best sad eyes and Gerard was annoyed by how easily he gave in.

Sighing, he gave a gentle knock at the door. Mr. Rollins swivelled around. When he saw who was standing in his doorway, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I’ll call you back,” he said to whoever was on the other end of the line. Then he cleared his throat and adjusted his seat so his gaze was fixed directly on them. Frank felt like a deer in the headlights.

“Mr. Iero and Mr...Way, right? What can I do for you?” His voice had an icy undertone to it despite coming across polite. Clearly, he hadn’t forgotten his earlier interaction with Frank in the hallway. Gerard sensed this and took on the task of being the one to speak.

“We’ll cut right to the chase, Mr. Rollins. Obviously you know how our budgets have been slashed this year. We’ve had to come up with a way to raise money for what we need on our own. Our plan is pretty much set in stone but we have one last thing we need to cement it and we need your blessing for it.”

Mr. Rollins cocked an eyebrow, unsure of where Gerard was going with his statement. “Is that so?”

Gerard and Frank looked at each other. Taking a deep breath, Frank spoke next.

“We have a plan to do a talent show and raffle to raise money. Obviously we want a large space that’s also cost efficient. We were hoping you’d be so kind as to let us use the gym for a Friday night in about a month, since really this is your classroom.” He was worried his voice may have sounded too stiff and off putting but surprisingly, Mr. Rollins’ expression softened a little bit. Gerard took the opportunity to put the final nail in the grovelling coffin.

“Look, we know you’re doing what you’re doing this year because you care about the kids’ success.” As much as it pained him to admit, deep down he had to assume this was really the truth, that Mr. Rollins wasn’t an evil, budget-stealing villain for the sake of it. “We care about our kids too. And this is our way of being able to provide for them. So, if it’s all water under the bridge, we hope you’ll help us out with this small thing.” Frank and Gerard held their breaths as they waited for the gym teacher to respond.

Mr. Rollins was silent for another beat. Something like understanding then crossed his face and he nodded firmly.

“Of course you can use the gym. I’d be happy to let you have it for your fundraiser.”

“Really?” Frank blurted out, unable to contain his shock. Gerard nudged him with his elbow, shooting him a look that said _Come on, man, be cool._.

Mr. Rollins nodded. “Yes. Listen, I know it seems like I just came in here like I own the place and turned everyone’s world upside down.” He waited, as if expecting either of the other two teachers to say “of course not!” They didn’t.

“But really,” he continued, “all I want is just to see kids reach their full potential in athletics because I know a lot of them have it. I don’t know these students well yet but I care about helping them reach that potential. And I know you guys care about your students too, which is obviously why you’re doing this. So I’d be happy to help you enrich their lives in whatever way you need, the way I’m doing for my students.”

Excited smiles spread across both Frank and Gerard’s faces.

“Well, thank you. It means a lot to us that you’re willing to help us out.”

Looking as if he had just remembered something really important, Mr. Rollins asked “You said you were doing a raffle?”

“Yes, we’re planning to send out an email to the parents and staff to see if there’s anything they’d be willing to contribute as prizes. Why?”

“Well, let me be the first. I have some vintage sports gear in my garage that I’ve been meaning to clear out for ages. I’m sure I can find a retro sports jersey that can get you a pretty penny.”

Gerard couldn’t help but look surprised. “Wow, that’s...that’s so generous of you. Thank you, Mr. Rollins.”

“Please, you can both call me Philip.”

Frank snuck a look at Gerard, eyes bright. “Alright Philip, well we won’t keep you any longer. We have a lot to do. Thank you again, really. We appreciate your help.”

The gym teacher nodded. “If I can help in any other way, please let me know.”

Frank waited until they were back in the hallway alone before letting out a small whoop of victory.

“So that went way better than I thought it would.”

“Yeah,” Gerard breathed. “We might actually have a good shot at success here.”

A warm feeling spread across Frank’s chest. Visions of him showing off new, shiny instruments to his students, and of Gerard sitting in a reading circle with his flashed through his mind. It made him giddy even though the tiny voice in his brain kept warning him that they could still fail. He didn’t want to listen to it then, not when things seemed to be on the right track for them.

The two worked for another hour in a haze of excitement. It seemed that now that they had somewhat cleared the air with Mr. Rollins, the idea pathways were now unobstructed for them to soar through. And they did, all the while they were laughing and talking and sharing mediocre staff room coffee as the clock ticked by on finalized email templates and flyer designs. By the time Frank and Gerard noticed that the sky outside was beginning to darken, they had all but finished the things they needed for the first stage of rolling out their fundraiser. They had been on a high earlier but were now feeling the effects of their hard work, and exhaustion began to seep in.

Frank rubbed at his eyes and stifled a yawn, turning to look at Gerard.

“So what do you think? Enough for one day?” he asked jokingly.

Gerard noticed how bright his eyes still were despite how exhausted he definitely was. A piece of hair had fallen in front of Frank’s eyes and he suppressed the urge to reach over and brush it out of the way for him. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was zoning out from the exertion of the day but Gerard found it difficult to look away from Frank’s face. There was a tiny little hole next to his lower lip where it looked like a piercing had once been. A hand waving in front of his face brought him back to reality.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Frank teased.

“Yeah! Yeah, sorry, I guess I didn’t realize how tired I am.”

“You and me both. I think we deserve to get out of here, yeah?”

Gerard nodded. He stood up and stretched, wincing at the tightness he felt in his muscles. Frank reached down, grabbing his messenger bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He pulled his phone from his pocket and saw that Ray had texted him.

_”Coming to hang tonight?”_

He typed out a quick response while Gerard gathered his own stuff. 

_”Yeah. Leaving work now.”_

He was exhausted but he wanted to tell Ray about how well things were going. Of course, he wouldn’t mention how it was just him and Gerard organizing the event by themselves. Glancing over at the other teacher, he wondered why he felt oddly guilty about withholding that information from his best friend. It was all just work stuff, after all.

They walked down the silent corridor, footsteps echoing off the walls of the empty building. There was an unspoken agreement that they didn’t want to talk about the fundraiser after they had left Frank’s classroom. After working tirelessly all day and gaining support from Mr. Rollins, they had earned the right to talk about anything else.

“You heading home now?” Gerard asked casually as they reached the exit doors. Pushing them open simultaneously, the cool evening air in their faces was a welcome change from the dinginess of Haddonfield Memorial’s basement. It was still September but the weather had been cooling drastically since orientation day.

“Nah, I’m gonna head to McKeown's Pub to see a friend. Plus I could use a beer after the day we’ve had.”

Weirdly, Gerard felt like he wanted Frank to invite him along. He felt silly as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“You’ve earned it. Go relax, dude,” he said as he pulled his car keys out and began to turn away.

“See you tomorrow, right?” Frank asked.

Gerard smiled, his stomach fluttering slightly at how hopeful Frank’s voice had sounded.

“Of course. Tomorrow.”

***

By the time Frank waltzed through the entrance of the pub, he was regretting not having gone straight home to go to sleep. Making his way over to the bar on wobbly legs, he made a mental note to not even drink and just stick around long enough to talk to Ray for a bit.

The latter noticed his friend approaching, looking worn down, and frowned in concern.

“Whoa man, you get run over by a truck on your way here?” Ray asked lightly, grabbing a cup to fill it with ice water for Frank.

“Long day dude, long day,” Frank responded, gratefully accepting the freezing cold cup and taking a long drink. He felt his senses perk up from the shock of the temperature.

The bar was quieter today than it had been last time Frank had come by, so Ray made it a point to hang around with him. Periodically, he would glance over his shoulder to see if anyone needed his attention. But most of the bar patrons were distractedly watching the TV or waved down other staff members to replenish them.

With some of his energy restored, Frank excitedly told Ray about the fundraiser breakthrough today. Everything about Mr. Rollins, the gym booking, and the raffle prizes spilled out of him in rapid succession. Ray nodded enthusiastically at everything he said, feeling excited for him. Frank’s vigour was contagious and it was obvious that the puzzle pieces were setting in.

As Frank wrapped up recounting his victories of the day, Ray looked at his best friend fondly. “Man, look at you. You’re turning over a new leaf this year, huh?”

Frank sat thinking about that for a minute. It was more of a loaded question than anyone other than he and Ray could understand. But he felt a strange sense of pride rising within him and couldn’t help but smile at Ray.

“Yeah. I guess I am huh? We both are.”

Ray poured himself a shot and clinked the small glass against Frank’s water in cheers.


	5. FIVE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter concludes Act 1 of the story! I may take a little while longer to post the next one as my reserve of finished chapters is empty.
> 
> Thank you all so much for being here. I read and appreciate every single comment and am glad you're enjoying being on this ride with me <3 Much love.

#  FIVE 

The weeks leading up the fundraiser whizzed by Frank and Gerard so quickly that they felt like they were on autopilot.

To their surprise and delight, their memo to staff and parents about donating things for the raffle was well-received. They got donations from parents’ workplaces across the board from gift baskets to books to speciality coffees to cosmetics. When they had approached Principal Danson with their idea, she was enthusiastic and made sure to pass on the message to the upper administration. They had even received quite a bit of assistance from Mr. Rollins who seemed to really want them to succeed. Students from all grades had excitedly auditioned for the talent show, their interests ranging from singing to stand-up to playing the tuba. It was going to be nothing if not a very interesting event.

Finally, the Friday of the fundraiser had arrived. The entire week leading up to it, Frank and Gerard stayed after school to plan and put last-minute touches to the schedule well past the end of the day, sometimes as late as 8 PM. There was a lot of Chinese takeout food, lukewarm coffee, laughing fits, and ignored texts from Ray and Mikey.

One night as Frank slurped a lo mein noodle into his mouth, Gerard had glanced over at him, an amused smile playing on his lips as he typed away at their schedule draft. He wasn’t sure what had come over him but the darkness of the night outside contrasted with the fluorescent buzzing lights of Frank’s classroom made him feel like they were occupying a strange liminal space where they were safe and protected from the world. His eyes briefly danced over Frank’s tattoo-covered forearms that had been exposed after he had rolled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt.

“It’s so cool that you have so many tattoos,” he said, feeling slightly entranced by the sweeping lines and colours of the ink on his arm.

Frank smiled in response. “I can never get enough. Won’t stop until my whole body is inked.”

The thought of Frank’s bare skin, his whole body completely covered in beautifully colourful tattoos made Gerard’s stomach twist in a way that was unfamiliar to him. He squirmed in his seat a little, feeling a blush creep into his cheek.

“Would you ever get one?” Frank asked him, twirling more noodles around his fork and shoving them into his mouth.

Gerard chuckled. “As much as I love them on other people, no. Scared of needles.”

Frank hummed thoughtfully. “That makes sense. Tattoo needles don’t feel great either despite how much the end result is worth it.” He paused and smiled. “I guess I’ll just have to get more for the both of us.”

Gerard remembered getting home that night and his entire body buzzing remembering Frank’s smile when he had said that.

Despite how worn out they felt from the constant work, they got home every night feeling an undercurrent of invigoration and anticipation. That Friday, they called it in early after the school day ended, having 99% of things put together already. They went to their separate homes to change and freshen up for the grand finale of a night, Gerard offering to pick Frank up so they could go together, and Frank eagerly agreeing. 

Frank’s hands trembled as he dabbed some cologne on, staring at himself in the mirror. The fundraiser was starting in a little over an hour and his whole body was rigid with nerves. He was excited. Anxious, but excited. He also felt a little self-conscious about his outfit choice and found himself wondering if Gerard would like it. He felt his cheeks get hot before he noticed the reddening of his face in the mirror.

Frank had always been the type to be very honest with himself about his feelings. Maybe he had tried to deny it at first, but it was very clear to him after many long nights spent with Gerard working on the fundraiser that he had had some of the typical bodily reactions to a crush. He wasn’t ashamed but he certainly was a little annoyed with himself. Falling for a coworker was something people tried to avoid at all costs, after all. Yet here he was. But it was hard not to, with Gerard’s interests, the passion he had for teaching and his students, the easy conversation that flowed through the two of them like a gentle river, Gerard’s intensity and the look that lit up his face whenever either of them was struck with a good idea.

But they were both professional. Nothing was going to stand in the way of securing their budgets. That was what had brought them together after all, and what was at the forefront of every interaction between them. No matter the butterflies that erupted in Frank’s stomach whenever Gerard got close enough to him that their elbows brushed, their funding was top priority. That was never questioned.

Lost in his own thoughts and still fussing over whether he wanted to change clothes or not, Frank had hardly noticed that there was a car horn honking outside.

“Shit,” he mumbled to himself, grabbing his phone and seeing a text from Gerard pop up on the home screen.

_Hey, I’m outside! It’s go time ;)_

Frank smiled and took a deep breath, looking in the mirror one last time. Yeah, he looked fine. And it wasn’t like he had time to change anyway if he didn’t.

He grabbed his bag and a jacket. October had made its usual chilly entrance in New Jersey and Frank hated the cold. Swinging open his front door, he locked it behind him and jogged lightly over to the car where Gerard was sitting in the front seat. The headlights lit up the entire street ahead, flooding the asphalt with a warm, yellow glow.

Frank opened the door and stepped into the car, a slight shiver from the cold outside shooting down his spine. Gerard turned in the driver’s seat and smiled at him, soft classical music from the radio playing through the speakers.

“You ready for this Frankie?” he said eagerly, putting the car in gear and driving ahead slowly. Frank tucked his chin against his chest and smiled.

“Born ready,” he responded as the two drove off into the evening towards Haddonfield Memorial.

***

The minute they stepped into the gymnasium, Frank and Gerard were overcome with awe and pride. They hadn’t gone crazy on the decoration, opting for minimal but tasteful streamers and dim mood lighting. There were tables set up for the raffle that displayed the prizes and they had sectioned off an area as the “stage” for the talent show with rows of chairs lined up in front of it for the audience.

In the center of the room, Mr. Rollins had a small crowd of teachers and staff gathered around him. He was holding a clipboard and pointing in various directions, telling everyone what they had to do for the night. Oddly enough, after the conversation with Frank and Gerard in his office, he had shown a lot of interest in helping them with the event. They had delegated him as one of the coordinators and he was more than happy to oblige while respectfully letting them do their own thing. Whether it was because he felt guilty that they had to do this at all or because he was truly interested in a high school fundraiser was anyone’s guess but they were glad to have him on board.

Gerard snuck a look over at Frank and laughed at the expression on his face.

“Who the hell would have thought _that guy_ would be our biggest supporter in this?”

Frank let out a sigh of utter disbelief. “It’s been a ride, man.”

As the organizers of the event, they took up the task of greeting parents, students and staff at the front door of the school, small groups trickling in and letting in the cold air from outside. They smiled wide despite their nerves, handing out programmes for the show and encouraging people to buy tickets for the raffle. When Principal Danson walked in, she gave them both a big smile.

“I didn’t think you would actually take it on when I first mentioned it Mr. Way, but I’m glad you went this route. Everything looks lovely,” she said warmly as she took a programme from him and entered the gym with everyone else. Gerard beamed at Frank. They greeted the last of the attendees then walked into the gym themselves side by side.

The night passed in a blur. It seemed that as soon as the doors to the gym closed, everything went into hyper speed. Gerard and Frank took turns manning the raffle table, talking up the items and dropping tickets in jars. At one point, an eighth grader who had signed up to perform in the talent show had a mild anxiety attack that Gerard went to take care of. He calmed the student down and she went up on stage and gave a phenomenal performance of “We Are The Champions” by Queen on the violin.

Avery also took the stage later in the night for her own performance of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy. When Gerard saw her about to go up, he turned to Frank quickly.

“Hey, do you mind if I take a quick break to go watch Avery?”

Frank had been all too happy to give him the go ahead and watched him walk briskly across the aisle and grab a seat in the back to watch her. He gave her a thumbs up gesture, hoping she would see it in the darkness of the gym, the spotlight giving her skin a bright white glow. She nailed it and Gerard eagerly clapped along with the rest of the audience as she bowed and pranced off the stage when she finished.

And just like that, a couple of hours later, it was over. Parents filed out of the gymnasium thanking the teachers for their hard work on the way out, their children’s faces pink with excitement and proud grins stretched to their ears.

“Bye Mr. Way!” Avery called out as she was dragged away, a bit more roughly than the other children, by her mother. Gerard smiled at her as he waved back.

“You were great Avery!” he responded, really meaning it.

Mr. Rollins shuffled around the gym, eventually coming back to the raffle table where Frank and Gerard were counting up their final costs, hearts in their throats to finally see if all of their effort had paid off. He came up behind Frank and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Good work, guys. Glad I could be part of this.”

“Thanks, Mr. Rollins. We appreciate all your help, really.”

“It was a pleasure. I’ll gather some people to help clean up.”

He wandered off and the two kept counting, hyper focused. Gerard couldn’t help how his skin prickled with excitement and relief as they wrote down the final number.

“Frank…3,256 dollars.”

They could have cried from happiness.

“That’s more than enough for your books and for me to get a couple good instruments,” Frank breathed out, forcing his body not to start jumping around and doing somersaults all over the gym.

Gerard ran his hand through his hair, puffing out his cheeks and letting out a laugh of relief. They had done it. They were exhausted but they had done it, just the two of them. He couldn’t help himself; he turned to Frank and wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

For a second, Frank froze, unsure of how to react. But it didn’t take long for him to wrap his own arms around Gerard’s torso, letting his forehead rest on his shoulder.

They pulled apart after a few moments, Frank’s cheeks flushed pink and Gerard’s heart beating hard against his chest.

“Let’s go celebrate, what do you think?” Frank asked.

“Oh _hell yes_. This whole night calls for celebration.”

They joined in the cleanup to get it done quicker, asking the other teachers if they wanted to go out with them afterwards. Some accepted, including Mr. Rollins. Others were too tired, the exertion of the night calling them to their couches and beds. Gerard went to quickly put the money they had raised in the safe in Principal Danson’s office. She had given him a key for it before she left for the night for that exact purpose, expecting it back on Monday. Once everything had been put away, swept, and locked up, they all headed out the door and towards McKeown’s.

***

The pub was alight with noise and activity. Groups of friends spilled out across booths and tables. The TVs were still going but no sound from them could be heard over the rowdy bar patrons. Frank glanced over at the bar where Ray was preoccupied with pouring drinks, not even noticing that their group had just walked in.

Gerard tapped Frank on the shoulder then pointed to a booth in the corner where the people who had been sitting in it before were leaving.

He leaned in to speak into Frank’s ear. “Let’s go grab that spot before someone else does.” He hadn’t wanted to shout over the noise and he also wanted an excuse to get physically close to him again. Frank shuddered slightly, then he nodded his agreement and guided the group to the booth. Everyone eagerly scuttled into the space.

“I’ll go get us some drinks,” Gerard offered before getting too comfortable sitting down.

“Oh, I’ll come with you. I wanna introduce you to my friend,” Frank said, a little nervous in spite of himself. They both weaved between chairs and squeezed past tables until they reached the bar where it seemed like Ray finally had a moment to spare. He lit up when he saw Frank approaching, but the look on his face fell slightly when he saw Gerard trailing closely behind him.

When they reached the bar, Frank waved and cleared his throat, gesturing to Gerard.

“Ray! This is Gerard,” he said, motioning the latter over to make himself known. “Gerard, this is my friend Ray.”

Gerard smiled and offered Ray his hand to shake. “Hey man, nice to meet you.”

Ray clasped Gerard’s hand a little uncertainly, glancing over to Frank who was biting his bottom lip a little bit. “Friend? You mean best friend, don’t you Frankie?” he said, intending the words to come off as a joke but sounding slightly bitter. “Good to meet you, too. Gerard. You teach with Frank, I guess huh?”

“Yeah, I teach English at Haddonfield Memorial.”

“That’s cool. I loved English when I was in high school.” Gerard couldn’t help noticing that Ray kept looking over at Frank, sending him subtle looks. He could pick up immediately on the fact that Ray wasn’t his biggest fan for some reason.

Frank coughed to bring attention back to himself. “So, drinks? What are you having, Gerard?”

Tapping his chin, Gerard declared, “I’ll have a gin and tonic. And I guess a round of tequila shots for the table.”

“Gin and tonic, huh? Fancy,” Frank said with a chuckle. “I’ll have my usual Ray. Please.”

“Coming right up,” Ray responded a little tightly.

They waited for their drinks then asked Ray if he could have the shots sent to their table before making their way back.

And so the night went on. Everyone drank to the event’s success, Frank feeling the warmth of a buzz sweeping over him as he revelled in everything happening around him. It was cheesy but he felt like a big cloud of joy was shrouded around him. He still hadn’t quite completely broken the ice with a lot of teachers at Haddonfield Memorial but he felt like surely now he was on his way. Between people corralling around him and Gerard to help with the fundraiser and everyone having a good time now, he felt positivity literally coursing through his entire body.

Hours passed and slowly, people began to trickle out as they became too tired or too tipsy to stick around. Before he left, Mr. Rollins high-fived both of them, repeating how glad he was to have been part of their night. He was slurring his words slightly, but Frank and Gerard knew he meant it. Before they knew it, it was just the two of them left with a couple of other stragglers in the pub.

“So, what now?” Frank asked, his voice sounding far away even to his own ears. He stared into his beer, suddenly nervous to meet Gerard’s eyes despite the fact that he was still pleasantly tipsy.

“What do you mean?” Gerard asked. He had stopped drinking a couple of hours ago to ensure that he could drive home safely, but his face was still slightly rosy even though he had sobered up.

“Like…” Frank racked his brain, trying to put words together that wouldn’t make him sound completely lame. “What am I supposed to do at school now that I don’t have to bother you with fundraising stuff every day?” He tried to make his tone a joking one but he thought it sounded more pathetic.

Gerard raised his eyebrows at Frank. “You? Bother me? Never.” He paused. “And anyway, who says we have to stop hanging out? I certainly wasn’t planning on it,” he responded, a suggestive, hopeful edge to his voice. It made the butterflies kick up in Frank’s stomach again.

“Yeah. I’ve decided, after all this time, that you’re pretty cool. Wouldn’t hurt to keep seeing each other.” He hoped he had subtly conveyed to Gerard that the flirtation was mutual.

They continued chatting some more until Ray announced that it was last call and began wiping down the countertops of the bar. He snuck a curious glance over at Frank and Gerard huddled in the back booth by themselves.

“Are you okay to get home? I could give you a lift,” Gerard said, wanting to spend a bit more time with him.

Before Frank could respond, Ray called over to him, as if sensing it. “Hey Frankie, you gonna catch a ride home with me tonight?”

He looked over where Ray was, a raised eyebrow pointed in their direction. Frank shrugged sheepishly and gave Ray the “one second” gesture.

“I, uh...I think I’ll have Ray drive me home. You know, I haven’t really had much time to hang out and catch up with him since we’ve been so busy.” He averted his gaze from Gerard, rubbing the back of his neck. Deep down, he had actually wanted to ride home with him. But Ray was giving him that look that triggered a bizarre feeling of guilt within him.

“Of course! Yeah no worries, I get it,” Gerard said, trying to mask his disappointment. “Just be safe, okay?” he said, moving to get up and grab his jacket off a nearby hook.

“Text me when you get home so I know you got in,” Frank blurted out, unable, or maybe unwanting, to stop himself. Gerard laughed and shook his head.

“I’m a big boy, Frankie. You don’t have to worry about me.” He paused. “But of course, I’ll text you immediately. I promise.”

Frank watched Gerard retreat towards the door until he was gone. The booth suddenly felt really big and isolated without him there. After Gerard’s departure, Ray’s demeanor seemed to soften as he realized he was alone with his best friend once again. Frank migrated over to the bar to keep him company until he had finished all of his closing tasks. 

Once the last till had been counted and the last light switch flicked off, they hurried out into the chilly October night, jackets pulled tightly around their shoulders. Ray unlocked his car from the back door and they piled inside as quickly as they could.

“You had a good time tonight?” Ray asked. He pushed his key into the ignition and the engine came alive. Frank sighed in relief, feeling warm air flowing through the vents.

“Yeah. Everything went better than I could have hoped,” he replied. Ray didn’t press him further, sensing his exhaustion, and just let Frank fall back against the headrest. The car began to roll down the street and Frank stared out the window at the leaves falling and fluttering from the trees outside.


	6. SIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO BEAUTIFUL READERS. Thank you so much for your patience while I got this next chapter ready :') I know I normally post on Thursdays but I've had this ready since last night so I figured why not!
> 
> We're onto Act 2!
> 
> I appreciate you all being here so much. Hope you enjoy <3

#  SIX 

The sound of Gerard’s voice echoed across the almost empty cafeteria. Over the weekend, the janitor had discovered some black mould in his classroom so he had been delegated to the cafeteria to teach for the next few days. He had stored his important belongings in Frank’s classroom where they would be safe but his books and teaching materials were scattered across a table covered in markings and scratches from rebellious teens. The actual school day had already ended, only himself and the book club students remaining in the silent cafeteria.

“So what can Dorian Gray’s obsession with his youth tell us about vanity in society?” Gerard asked, a small circle of students surrounding him. He looked around expectantly, waiting for anyone’s hand to go up for an answer. A student who was new to the book club, Josh, raised his hand.

“It tells us a lot about how people value superficial appearance and youth over almost everything else?” he asked timidly.

Gerard nodded at him encouragingly. “Definitely. Nice observation, Josh.” He looked at the clock hanging on the wall to his left and noticed that that their time was coming to an end. They hadn’t quite ended off the discussion where he would have liked but it would have to wait.

“Alright everyone, we’ll pick up again next week, okay? Have a good rest of the day and thanks for being here.”

The students stood and started gathering their things. Off to the side of the circle, Avery took her _Picture of Dorian Gray_ book and placed it carefully in the guitar case she had carried into the book club with her. Gerard noticed and smirked.

“Is Mr. Iero going to be happy about the fact that you’re shoving books in with his new guitars, Avery?” he asked.

She beamed. “He won’t mind, Mr. Way. Mr. Iero loves books.”

“Just be careful that it won’t bump around in there and damage the guitar, okay?”

“Don’t worry Mr. Way, I’ll be careful! See you tomorrow!” she said, bounding out the door and down the hallway.

 _Speaking of Mr. Iero,_ Gerard thought to himself, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Sure enough, his phone screen was alight with a new text message from Frank.

_”We still on for coffee? :)”_

Gerard smiled at his screen as he typed out his response.

_”You know it. Just finishing up down here.”_

He placed a bookmark in his own copy of the novel and set it down on the table. All of his stuff was in Frank’s classroom, so he sent him a quick message to not forget it before he locked up for the day and met him in the cafeteria. 

Standing in the peace and quiet of the room by himself waiting for Frank, he felt inspired to start on the next chapter of the book. He had read it many years ago when he himself was in high school, but it wouldn’t hurt to start brushing up on it early before the next club meeting. He sat down, putting his feet up on another cafeteria chair in front of him and opened the book.

***

Mikey’s tires squeaked softly as his car came to a stop in front of Haddonfield Memorial High School. He set the car into park and took a minute to re-examine the sheets of paper that he had placed on the passenger seat.

Most of it was pretty much basic, procedural information. But the most important line stood out to him clearly.

**Will France.**

The skin on the back of his neck tingled with anticipation. It had been so long since an interesting case that required any kind of thought or gave him any sense of excitement came through Haddonfield, New Jersey.

They had received the call at the station the day before. Mikey was asked to be the primary investigator. He was surprised that he was following up on a lead that was going to take him to Gerard’s school and he certainly hadn’t said anything about it at home. Things had been more or less patched up since their last disagreement - “patched up” meaning swept under the rug and not spoken about it, as if it had never happened. As usual. But he had still wanted to keep quiet about this new case until he had a better idea of what was going on.

He had also wanted to wait until the end of the day when he knew some teachers stuck around but the kids were gone, as he didn’t want to alarm any of the students during school hours so early on in the investigation. For now, he had only wanted to do some preliminary recon. This meant keeping things on the down low until they required further, more urgent action.

Stepping out into the sun, Mikey made sure he had his detective’s badge in his inner jacket pocket before strolling up the stairs through the school’s front doors. He noticed a couple of teachers mingling about the front office area. Clearing his throat to get their attention, he flashed his badge when they turned their heads. They looked surprised as they walked closer to him. He stood up a little straighter.

“Good afternoon, I’m Detective Way from the Haddonfield Police Department. Can I ask you a few questions?”

***

Frank drummed his fingers against his thigh as he made his way to the first floor teachers lounge. He had left a few things in the fridge that he wanted to take home. He thought about Gerard waiting for him in the cafeteria and picked up his walking pace a bit.

As he walked, his feet oddly silent against the floor, he noticed a tall, thin man that he had never seen before talking to a couple of teachers near the front offices. They were huddled closely around him, the stranger writing something in a small notepad. Frank walked a bit closer, his curiosity getting the better of him. A glint of sunlight reflected off something shiny on the man’s belt - a police badge.

Frank’s eyebrows furrowed together. What was a police officer doing here and why was he having a hushed conversation with some teachers? They hadn’t noticed Frank coming down the hallway, so he ducked behind a corner just close enough to hear them and strained his ears to listen.

First he asked them basic questions: their names, how long they had been teaching there, what subjects they taught. This went on for a few minutes until he asked the question that he had clearly come there for.

“Does the name Will France mean anything to either of you?”

Frank froze completely. His breathing hitched in his throat.

There was no way he had heard that right. No fucking way. His ears suddenly felt like they were on fire. Clearly, they weren’t working properly and he hadn’t just heard what he thought he had heard.

But then someone else said it.

“Will France...I don’t think so. It doesn’t really ring a bell,” one of the teachers responded.

Frank felt his stomach bottom out and his heart jump up into his throat. He reached a hand out to steady himself on the wall closest to him in case his legs crumpled beneath him.

 _No way is this happening right now,_ he kept repeating to himself in his head over and over.

And then the dread set in, acid in his gut. He suddenly felt extremely exposed, like the corner he was concealed behind was dissolving before his very eyes. His heart rate picked up, his saliva like a thick mucus in his mouth as he turned and headed for the staircase that was closest to him. A primal instinct kicked in and he knew he needed to just hide somewhere until this stranger was gone and he could fucking wrap his head around what was unfolding.

Frank bounded down the staircase, not daring to look over his shoulder and slow himself down in any way. He didn’t want to go into his classroom. Even though the detective upstairs didn’t know who he was in any capacity, he had the irrational and completely nonsensical thought that somehow he would sense Frank’s presence and head straight for his room. Then he would corner him and -

Shaking his head forcefully to clear the thoughts away, he found his legs on autopilot and they were leading him towards the cafeteria. Not a bad spot to go. It was a huge room that had tons of space to tuck into until he felt safe enough to leave the school building.

He burst through the door, completely forgetting that Gerard had been waiting for him there until their eyes met. Frank’s were wide and frantic like a scared animal and Gerard’s were puzzled by Frank’s sudden and erratic entrance.

“Frank? Is everything -”

“If anyone comes in here, you never saw me okay? Please Gee, I...just trust me,” Frank pleaded, already scurrying to the back of the cafeteria where there was a storage closet.

“Who would come in here? What do you mean?” Gerard didn’t receive an answer as Frank shut the door behind him.

His mouth was slightly open in confusion. Then it was silent again, as if Frank had never been there at all. Gerard wasn’t completely sure that he hadn’t just imagined the entire interaction. And then only minutes later, his brother walked into the cafeteria, confusing him even more. He was still holding his book limply in his hand.

“Mikey? What are you doing here?”

His brother scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish expression on his face. 

“I, uh, I’m actually doing an investigation. Following up on a lead.”

Now Gerard was really convinced that he was dreaming. “An investigation here? Into what?”

“An old case from years ago in a county a little ways away. Mind if I ask you a few questions Gee?” Mikey tried to assert an air of authority but it was hard to maintain when he was talking to his older brother.

“This is...weird, but yeah. Sure. Okay.” The image of Frank curled up and hiding in the cafeteria storage room forced Gerard to keep his calm.

“The name Will France mean anything to you?” Mikey asked, taking his notepad out of his pocket again and readying his pen against it to take notes. He skipped the initial questions, knowing everything already about his brother’s employment history.

“No. Literally nothing at all, actually,” Gerard responded, his eyebrows knit together in thought. “What’s this about?”

Sighing, Mikey continued to scribble on his notepad page. “Gee, you know I can’t tell you anything. It’s too early in an open case.”

“Right, right. Sorry, officer.”

“Come on, don’t give me that,” Mikey said tightly. “Is there anyone else around that I can talk to? Just trying to get as much initial information as possible.”

The thought of Frank in the storage closet flashed through Gerard’s mind again. He casually flicked a crumb off the table in front of him.

“No,” he responded coolly, the lie coming to him easily. “Haven’t seen anyone in the basement since everyone let out for the day.”

Mikey nodded, flipping his notepad closed. “Well, then I guess I’m done here for now. If you hear or think of anything later relating to a Will France, call the station and ask for me.”

“Or I can just tell you at the dinner table.” Gerard smirked at his brother.

Mikey rolled his eyes but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Sure. Whatever. Just keep your ears open, okay? I’ll see you at home after I finish up at the station,” he said, turning to exit the cafeteria.

“Yeah. I’ll see you later.” He watched Mikey leave and waited a full five minutes, making sure that the entire building was quiet enough to hear a pin drop before getting up.

He approached the door to the storage room before resting his ear against it and knocking softly.

“Frank? It’s just me, Mikey’s gone. Everyone’s gone.”

Frank emerged from the closet seconds later, his head bowed, avoiding Gerard’s inquisitive gaze.

“That was your brother?” he mumbled.

Gerard cleared his throat. “Yeah. Weird time for you to...well, not meet him I guess.”

Groaning, Frank covered his face with his hands and shook his head. “Fuck.”

A beat passed.

“So, are you gonna tell me what that was about or?” Gerard asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “You freaked me out there, Frankie. What’s going on?”

If there had ever been a time in his life when Frank would have liked to crumple up into a ball and die, this would have been it. He literally felt like his insides were trying to force themselves out of his skin.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he repeated, his voice a fucking pitiful, strangled sound escaping his throat. He felt like he wasn’t actually awake. This couldn’t be anything other than a twisted dream. The room swirled, Gerard still standing in front of him with a worried expression on his face.

“I just...I...Fuck, this was never supposed to happen. It was supposed to be over,” Frank said, his voice breaking on the last word. His head shot up and his eyes met Gerard’s. They were terrified, tiny bloodshot veins standing out against the white.

“Frank, _what?_ I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.” Gerard tried to keep his voice steady but Frank’s reaction was starting to scare him. He went back and forth between twisting his hands in his hair and furiously rubbing his face, words that he dreaded having to speak making his throat itch.

Wanting to comfort him in some way, Gerard reached out and pulled Frank’s shaking body against his, burying his face into his hair. He wasn’t sure if it was going to make it better or worse. But then Frank hooked his arms around Gerard’s torso and pulled him in even closer as if he were trying to meld their bodies together.

“Please, Frank, tell me what’s going on,” Gerard whispered into his hair. He was dizzy with the feeling of Frank’s body pressed so tightly against his own combined with the anxiety in the air.

“I’m not who I used to be, Gee, you have to believe me when I say that,” he said against his chest, voice slightly muffled by Gerard’s shirt. Frank knew he was just babbling nonsense, fragments of a story that Gerard didn’t understand. The smallness of his voice only made Gerard pull him in closer. He stayed quiet so Frank could keep talking. 

“There are some things I’ve done, things...I’ve seen that I’m not proud of,” he continued, lifting his head to look at Gerard, keeping his hands pressed against his chest. “I have so many regrets, and I just...I got caught up in some shit that I can’t take back. And I thought it had gone away but…I’m not a bad person. I’m not, I -“

“Frank, I...I know you’re not a bad person. Of course I know that.,” Gerard said forcefully while looking into Frank’s glassy eyes, making sure that he knew he meant it. He still had no clue _why_ he was telling him this but that didn’t make his words any less true.

Frank’s bottom lip quivered and it took everything that Gerard had in him not to lean forward and kiss him on the mouth right then and there. But this was absolutely not the time.

“I want to explain what just happened. Really, I do. I just...this is not who I am. _You_ know who I am,” Frank whispered, his voice thick.

There was a lump in Gerard’s throat that he couldn’t swallow down. The way Frank was acting, he was afraid of hearing what it was that had so shaken him to his core.

“Whatever it is, I’m here okay?” he whispered, willing his voice to remain calm and steady for both their sakes.

Frank nodded. They stood in silence for a few moments. Then Frank took a few deep breaths, not wanting to stay in the school building for even a second longer. He felt like he was going to jump out of his skin if he stayed under the harsh, fluorescent lights.

“How about that coffee?” he asked softly, weirdly afraid of Gerard refusing him. “Maybe we can get it for take out and find somewhere quiet to talk?”

“Yeah. Of course. I’d like that,” Gerard said reassuringly.

Frank took another shuddering breath, closing his eyes as if to centre himself. “Okay. Let’s go.”


	7. SEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO MY BEAUTIFUL WONDERFUL READERS!
> 
> I'm excited to be posting on time this week! I didn't think it would happen but I pushed through to get this chapter out for you all. I hope you enjoy <3
> 
> I wanna say again thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being here and reading this. I've gotten so many heartwarming comments and kudos from new readers and some of you who have been here since chapter 1 and it really makes me happy beyond words that you guys are enjoying this fic.
> 
> So much love to all of you <33333 Happy reading!

# SEVEN

Frank wrapped his hands around his paper coffee cup, the stinging heat from the beverage on his hands hardly bothering him. It was especially chilly outside that day, being right in the thick of autumn with only weeks left until winter. But Frank and Gerard had spotted a nearby park that was empty. Of course it was, because no person with any sense in them would be voluntarily hanging out in the park in the cold. Since they wanted to speak as privately as possible though, it was perfect for them. So they braved the cold, wrapping their scarves around their necks and walking in silence with their coffee cups burning their hands.

Gerard noticed how Frank kept throwing nervous glances over his shoulder. His pupils were dilated, almost swallowing the hazel irises that made Gerard weak in the knees.

They found a nearby bench and sat down, taking tentative sips from their drinks. Frank nuzzled his nose into his scarf, trying to force his voice past the massive lump that has lodged itself in his throat. He knew Gerard was waiting for him to speak first, his eyes lingering on him patiently. It made him even more nauseous that Gerard was being so understanding and making him feel so safe when he felt like he was about to just flip his world and everything he knew about Frank upside down.

When he finally felt like his lips could form words, Frank began to talk, rushing through his words as if they were poison in his mouth that he couldn’t get rid of fast enough.

“Listen, I really don’t think I’ll be physically able to tell you everything right now,” Frank said, trying to suppress the chattering of his teeth. “It’s a lot, too much almost, for me to think about again. Especially now.”

Gerard nodded but couldn’t think of what to say back to him. He was hearing words coming out of Frank’s mouth that weren’t clicking in his head. He felt like his mind was teetering on a cliff’s edge and was waiting for the final push towards understanding and destruction.

“So I grew up in Hudson County,” Frank started, immediately taking a sip of his drink after he spoke, as if to get the taste of the words off his tongue. “Shitty, tiny, boring county. Not much to do except get in trouble, especially for a delinquent like I was.”

Gerard held his breath.

“Starting in like high school, I, uh…” Frank scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Engaged in less than stellar teenage activities.”

“So you did drugs and drank while you were underage,” Gerard said matter of factly, raising his eyebrow at Frank as he sipped from his coffee cup.

Frank laughed in spite of himself. “Yeah. Yeah exactly.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re getting all twisted up inside because you think I’ll look at you differently for _that_ ,” Gerard said incredulously.

“No, no of course not. It’s still just...I hate thinking back on those days. It was a weird, dark time for me.”

Gerard inched his way closer to Frank on the bench, so much so that their thighs were pressed together. A little bolt of electricity shot up his spine at the contact. He noticed the tip of Frank’s nose had gone pink from the cold.

“Anyway, I...eventually, that led to me getting caught up in a bad crowd.” Frank’s face was pinched from the recollection of his deviancy. “I kept using drugs on my own, you know, recreationally. Not an insanely high amount and nothing too intense but like, way too much for someone my age. But I also began selling them. With Ray.”

“No kidding.”

“Yeah. High school best friends. Consuming and selling drugs together,” Frank said flippantly, bringing his cup up to his mouth. It suddenly felt extremely dry.

Gerard’s lips tightened. He placed his hand on Frank’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“So yeah.” Frank shuddered, his eyes downcast. “Man, my fingers are starting to get numb. And...fuck, this is a lot. Can we stop for now? I promise I’ll tell you more, seriously, but it’s a lot to relive at once.”

“Of course, Frank yeah. Whatever makes you comfortable. But…” Gerard hesitated for a second. “Just to be clear, this Will France thing _does_ have something to do with you?”

Frank flinched at the name but he nodded tightly. He said nothing else about it.

Truthfully, Gerard had wanted to hear more but he didn’t want to push Frank to say anything he wasn’t ready for. “Okay. We do have to talk about the Mikey thing though. He’s gonna be back to the school to talk to more people about...whatever this is. And I know I don’t know everything but you’re gonna have to keep your cool when he eventually gets to you.”

A spark of anxiety flashed through Frank’s eyes again but he just sighed defeatedly. “I know.” He looked at Gerard with urgency. “Whatever it is they’re asking about, you have to know I didn’t do anything bad. I really didn’t.”

“Hey, hey Frankie. You don’t have to defend yourself so much to me,” Gerard said softly, looking into his eyes directly. He was relieved to see Frank’s pupils had shrunk back to their normal size and his favourite hazel irises were on full display for him again. “I believe you. I know you.” He paused. “Now we just need to make sure Mikey does until...I guess we figure out what to do next.”

Frank made a face. “How?” he whispered, the desperation in his voice palpable.

Gerard thought for a minute. “It’s not a sure fire plan but...I know him better than anyone. I know how to talk to him. I can coach you or something so the next time he comes around, you know what to say to not make him suspicious. We can practice.”

Blowing air into his cheeks, Frank stared across the desolate expanse of the park in front of them. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. What do I have to lose, right? Fuck, I’m freezing,” he said, rubbing his hands together furiously and using his breath to warm them up.

“Come on,” Gerard said standing, shoving his own numb hands into his jacket pockets. “Let’s go to my car and I’ll give you the rundown on how to talk to Mikey Way.”

***

Frank’s hands trembled slightly as he gathered some papers together on his desk the next day. He felt like he had been holding in his breath all morning and had finally let it out once he dismissed his students for recess. His classroom was quiet, only the muffled sounds of crowds of teenagers outside in the corridor and the soft buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead disrupting the silence.

He knew that Mikey was going to be coming by Haddonfield Memorial that day around this time. Gerard had overhead his brother on the phone talking to another detective the night before after they had gotten back from their coffee outing. He had immediately texted Frank to give him the heads up.

_Remember what we talked about, right? Everything is going to be fine, I promise :)_ he had texted him after letting him know. He hoped that he was right.

A knock at his classroom door startled Frank out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath before turning to the door and walking over to open it. The tall man that he recognized from the day before - Gerard’s brother - was standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face. Looking at him up close, Frank was stunned to see the resemblance between the two of them. It took his breath away momentarily.

“Mr. Iero? My name is Detective Way from the Haddonfield Police Department. Do you mind if I come in to ask you a few questions about a case I’m working on?” His voice was friendly but it indicated that Frank couldn’t exactly deny him the request.

Frank nodded. _Just stay calm. You did nothing wrong._

“Of course, detective, come in. May I ask what this is about?” he said, willing his voice to stay steady.

There was the notepad again, primed and ready in Mikey’s hand.

“I’m investigating an old case that’s just reopened from a nearby county. My apologies, I came by yesterday to do some preliminary questioning but I must have missed you.”

“Yes, I...had to leave work as soon as the day ended. Had an appointment to rush to.”

“Right, I understand.” Mikey pressed his pen against the notepad. He peered at the person in front of him, trying to get a read on him. Frank just waited, trying not to make any nervous movements or speak too suddenly. Gerard had told him Mikey would pick up on that right away.

“So I’ll start with a few simple questions. What subject do you teach and how long have you been working at Haddonfield Memorial?”

“I teach music and this is my second year working here.”

“Oh so you’re relatively new then?”

Frank shrugged. “I guess you can say that, yes. I’m still in the early stages of my career.” His stomach flipped as he waited in agonizing anticipation for the question he knew was coming.

“Do you generally get along with your students and other staff members?” Mikey asked, occasionally glancing down to write in his notepad as he interrogated Frank.

“Yes, absolutely. I love my job and I’ve loved my time working here especially. Everyone is great.”

“Mhm, right.” Mikey nodded as he wrote, his tongue poking out of his mouth slightly. “Okay, listen carefully to what I’m about to ask you.”

All the nerves in Frank’s body went rigid and he held his breath.

“Does the name Will France mean anything to you? Have you ever heard anyone around the school or in your life outside work mention it?”

Frank breathed slowly through his nose, letting his muscles relax.

“No. The name means nothing at all, actually,” Frank said, surprised that the words came out more naturally than he had thought they would.

Mikey stopped writing for a brief second and peered over the top of his notepad at Frank, studying him. If he had heard correctly, and he knew he had, Frank had answered almost exactly the same way that Gerard had the day before, word for word.

“Okay. And have you ever overheard any staff members speak about any occurrences in Hudson County from a few years ago?” he questioned, really paying attention to Frank’s choice of words and demeanour.

Frank pursed his lips as if he were thinking really hard. “No, officer. Nothing of the sort.”

In his years as a detective, Mikey had honed his skills in maintaining a razor sharp memory and sensing when someone was being dishonest with him. Sometimes, it wasn’t in the obvious movements, like someone blatantly averting their gaze or doing something with their hands. Often, it was in the very subtle shifts that most people weren’t even able to recognize because they weren’t physical. It was in the energy someone gave off.

And Mikey just knew, his gut felt it, that Frank wasn’t being honest with him. Call it a detective’s hunch. It felt like his responses, his movements were planned, rehearsed somehow. It was almost distracting because now Mikey felt like he was trying to pinpoint that rather than actually listening to his answers.

He checked the staff record that he had printed earlier that morning at the station and confirmed what he already knew: this had to be the Frank that Gerard had planned his fundraising event with. The one Gerard had brought up all those weeks ago but had been oddly quiet about since.

Interesting.

He flipped his notepad shut and gave Frank a polite nod.

“Well, I think that it’s for me today, Mr. Iero. Thank you for your time.”

Frank looked stunned. “That’s all?”

“Yes. We’re still in the early stages of the investigation so I’m just getting preliminary information.”

He turned to leave but couldn’t resist a small attempt at confirming his suspicions.

“By the way, your first name is Frank, correct?”

Frank fidgeted under his gaze, cursing himself for it when he was so close to having this detective out of his classroom.

“That’s right, yeah.”

“You know my brother, Gerard, don’t you? Didn’t you guys do that fundraiser together a few weeks back?”

Now Frank’s palms were beginning to sweat but he willed his body to keep its cool for just a bit longer.

“Yeah. Gerard is a really great colleague and a good friend.” Shit, was that revealing too much? He was starting to panic.

Mikey nodded thoughtfully. “Good to know. Have a good day, Mr. Iero. We’ll be in touch if anything.”

Then he was gone and Frank was left alone in his classroom, the silence more acute and deafening than it had been before.

***

When lunch time had rolled around, Frank and Gerard took solace in Frank’s classroom. They preferred to hang out and eat there just the two of them in the basement that became much quieter at lunch, away from the other teachers and students.

“So,” Gerard started hesitantly, moving his salad around with a fork. “How did it go with Mikey today? He came by, right?”

Frank chewed on his sandwich thoughtfully. “Yeah he came by. Asked a few questions like you said he would.”

“And?” Gerard probed, anxious to know if Frank had managed to evade Mikey’s suspicions.

“I think it went well?” Frank said uncertainly. “He asked me the same questions he asked you. He also asked if we knew each other.”

“Yeah. I brought up the fundraiser thing weeks ago, like when we first started.” Gerard couldn’t help smiling to himself for a second when he remembered those early days of getting to know Frank. “It’s probably nothing. I guess he just wanted to make conversation.”

“Right...” Frank trailed off, staring blankly at the wall behind Gerard’s head. “I just hope he doesn’t come back about it any time soon. I still have stuff left to tell you and...things to figure out, I guess.”

Gerard looked at him seriously. “I hope you’ll let me help you figure things out. When you feel comfortable telling me more.”

Frank drew his attention back to Gerard. He searched his eyes and saw the genuine concern in them, mixed with something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Of course, Gee. I can’t do it without you and I wouldn’t want to, honestly. I feel like you’re the only one I can really trust with this. And….just, I don’t know, thank you.”

They dropped the conversation, the tension surrounding it getting a bit too much. With a few minutes left for lunch, Frank picked up one of the nearby acoustic guitars in his classroom and strummed a few simple chords. Gerard just sat and watched him in awe, feeling his heart rate quicken every time Frank’s tattooed fingers flew over the strings. He didn’t even try to fight the longing feeling that built up in his gut as he admired Frank playing the instrument.

He got home that night with a heavy feeling in his heart. He knew Frank was getting closer to telling him more about his past and what he had to do with this Will France, but the waiting and the agonizing over Frank’s wellbeing and safety was affecting him deeply. Despite wanting to go up to his bedroom and just be alone for a bit, Mikey was waiting for him on the couch when he walked through the door.

“Hey Gee,” he greeted him casually.

“Hey Mikey,” Gerard responded as he set his briefcase down on the floor and stretched his arms out.

“Didn’t get a chance to talk to you when I popped by Haddonfield, sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it, I was super busy today anyway,” Gerard said, sidestepping the couch and heading into the kitchen to try and avoid the conversation. He didn’t want to talk about the case, not at home.

“Mhm yeah...speaking of which, I talked to Mr. Iero today, Frank. Your fundraiser partner.”

Gerard’s body tensed.

“Yeah, that’s him. Good friend of mine.” The word ‘friend’ sounded wrong coming out of his own mouth when he knew his feelings for Frank were way more complicated than that.

“He mentioned that. I was thinking, you know, maybe I should get to know this new friend of yours since you spent so much time with him planning the event. I feel like I haven’t been keeping up with your life much lately.”

Gerard stifled a groan. Why was this happening? He suspected that Mikey thought he was on to something and he just had to play along for now. It was exhausting having a detective for a brother.

“Yeah, that would be fun. Maybe we could all go get drinks sometime.”

“How about tonight? We don’t have to stay out too late.”

Gerard froze, weighing Mikey’s words. He almost said no immediately but then he thought about it. Mikey would want to meet Frank eventually anyway, and better now when Gerard barely knew anything about the situation Frank was sitting on. Plus, he knew his brother and if Gerard refused to have them meet, he would become even more suspicious and who knows what that would lead to.

He took a deep breath before responding.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll text Frank to see if he’s free. But seriously dude, I don’t wanna stay out too late. You know how early I have to be up every day.”

Mikey beamed. “Of course. No more than a couple hours.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and going into his text chat with Frank.

_You busy tonight?_ he typed.

Frank’s answer was immediate.

_No, why? What’s up?_

_Well, you’re busy now. McKeown’s, ASAP. And be cool, my brother wants to hang out._

Frank’s little text response bubble popped up.

_Should I be worried?_

_No, just be relaxed and normal. I got you._

***

Ray hadn’t been expecting to see Frank at McKeown’s that night so when he saw his best friend walk through the front door, his face immediately lit up. But it fell ever so slightly when he saw Gerard and some guy he had never seen before trailing in behind him.

“Frankie! Hey! You didn’t tell me you were coming by,” he said, turning his back on an annoyed patron to greet his friend. “Hey Gerard, how are you doing man? Nice to see you.”

Frank hurried over to the bar to give Ray a proper hello.

“Hey dude. Sorry yeah, plans were kinda last minute,” he said hurriedly, shrugging his jacket off.

“It’s cool. I’m happy to see you,” Ray said sincerely, pulling a pint glass out from underneath the bar. “Stout?”

“Dear God, _please_.” Frank smiled and looked over his shoulder at Gerard and Mikey. “I’m gonna go grab a booth for now, okay? But I’ll be back.”

“Yeah, yeah sure.” Ray stared a little enviously as Frank walked towards the back of the pub standing very close to Gerard, with the third, tall and lanky stranger saying something into Gerard’s ear. And it was then that he saw a gleam of light reflect off something shiny on one of the stranger’s belt loops.

Frank hadn’t introduced him. Maybe another teacher from work? But as Ray looked closer at the shiny object on the third man’s pants, his heart sank. A detective’s badge. What the fuck was Frank doing with a cop?

He absentmindedly poured Frank’s stout, his hand trembling, only realizing about halfway through that he hadn’t asked Gerard or the other person what they wanted to drink.

Sneaking a glance over at the table and trying to figure out what the hell was going on, he noticed Frank’s demeanour was slightly tense. Maybe someone who didn’t know Frank wouldn’t be able to tell, but Ray could. He was scratching the surface table with his middle finger, something Frank did when he was feeling antsy.

Ray’s fingers curled around the pint glass anxiously, his mind flitting back and forth between wanting to mind his business and going over there to pull Frank away from the table. Frank _was_ his business after all.

He didn’t like the cops sniffing around Frank, let alone hanging out at a bar with him when they clearly hardly knew each other. He didn’t like it one bit. It couldn’t mean anything good and he knew it, not with things that had gone down before.

But he took a deep breath to settle himself. He glanced over again and although Frank was still scratching the table, he seemed to have relaxed a bit into the conversation, leaning in towards Gerard and the cop and chatting. Ray wished he could hear what on earth it was they could be talking about.

He finished filling Frank’s drink and took it upon himself to bring it to the table. Frank smiled gratefully as he set it down in front of him.

“My saviour. Thanks, Ray.”

Ray nodded stiffly. “Anytime, man. Gerard, can I get you anything? And...I’m sorry I don’t think we’ve met,” he said, reaching out his hand to shake with the stranger. He hoped he wasn’t still trembling.

“Mikey. Nice to meet you.” His voice had a breezy air of authority to it. It made Ray’s skin crawl.

“You too. I’m Ray, Frank’s friend. Anything for you?”

“Yeah, uh,” Mikey looked at Gerard. “Just two stouts for us too, what do you say?”

Gerard rolled his eyes. “Okay but only one!”

Ray chuckled. “I got you. And Frank, if you need anything else,” he said, looking at his friend intently. “You let me know.”

Frank looked back at him earnestly, as if he understood what Ray was trying to convey.

“I’m good, dude. But I will. I promise,” he said.

Ray nodded at him and began walking back to the bar to start on Gerard and Mikey’s drinks. He resisted the urge to look back one more time. Frank was okay. Maybe the more he repeated it in his head, the more he could convince himself it was true.


	8. EIGHT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO BEAUTIFUL READERS.
> 
> So, just an FYI, the chapter after this one is going to be a big one - you'll see why at the end. I wanna give it the attention and nuance it deserves so it will probably take me bit longer to get the next chapter out.
> 
> But regardless, I hope you enjoy this one. And as always, thank you for being here <3 Much love.

# EIGHT

It was Wednesday and Gerard needed as much time alone as he could get before homeroom to chug his thermos full of coffee in peace. He and Frank had gotten a little too carried away on the phone the night before. They had mostly just wanted to talk for the sake of talking but had danced around the subject of Frank’s past and Mikey’s unknowing investigation into it a few times.

“If this all goes to shit and the worst happens,” Frank had said at one point, a joking tone to this voice, “would you run away and hide with me? I could use your company when I’m a fugitive.”

“Frank, nothing bad is going to happen to you,” Gerard responded firmly. Then he paused. “But yeah. Without a second thought. I’d hide you away until everyone forgot who you were,” he added, his tone also light but more serious than Frank’s.

There was another beat of silence then Frank’s voice came through on the other end of the line again.

“I’m fucking scared, Gee,” he whispered, barely audible. “I don’t wanna lose what I have. I can’t. I love my job, I love my students, I love Haddonfield, I love…” he trailed off. 

Gerard clutched the phone tightly. His heart felt like it had grown ten sizes. The urge to jump into his car and speed over to Frank’s house to hold him close until he felt safe again was so strong it made him dizzy.

“I won’t let anything bad happen to you,” Gerard repeated in a whisper, suddenly paranoid that his brother would hear him through the walls. Despite the fear coursing through Frank’s veins, he had relaxed slightly. He let the sound of Gerard’s voice settle him until he was finally able to get to sleep.

As Gerard trudged down the corridors of Haddonfield Memorial, he was suddenly struck with an uncomfortable realization. For the past couple of years when he came into the school, he somehow always ran into Avery without fail. Every morning she found him to greet him and wish him a good day and a “see you later” if it was book club day. But it was the middle of the week and he hadn’t seen Avery in the hallway once since Monday. To anyone else, it may have seemed insignificant, but Gerard felt it in his gut that something was off. The daily interaction between them had been too ingrained in his schedule for this not to mean something.

He turned on his heel silently and made a beeline for the basement. He wanted to talk to Frank before the school day officially got started.

***

Frank had barely made it through the door of his classroom before Gerard snuck in behind him. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Just make yourself at home, why don’t you?” Frank said jokingly. Then he saw the concerned expression on Gerard’s face.

“Gee? What’s wrong?”

“Have you noticed Avery’s been gone the past couple days?”

Frank stopped and thought for a minute. He had noticed that Avery was absent since Monday but hadn’t thought much of it. Truthfully, he just thought she had a flu or something.

“I have, but I didn’t really think it was anything to be worried about. I assumed her parents called out sick for her.” 

Gerard stared at him.

“But something makes me think you’re worried,” Frank said.

“I don’t know, Frankie. Maybe I’m overreacting but...I’ve been here a long time, I’ve known Avery as long as she’s been coming here and she _never_ misses school, even when she is sick. Her parents still send her along and she usually spends the day in the nurse’s office. I haven’t seen her once this week and she always comes to say hi to me at the beginning of the day.”

“So what are you thinking?” Frank asked, keeping his attention on Gerard but beginning to put his things on his desk.

“Can you come with me to talk to Principal Danson? I just wanna know if she’s heard from the parents.”

“Of course, yeah.”

Gerard nodded gratefully. “I know I sound nuts right now but I just wanna make sure she’s okay.”

Frank stepped forward and put his hand on Gerard’s arm.

“No, you don’t sound nuts at all,” he said gently. “Come on, let’s go see Principal Danson.”

***

They made their way to Principal Danson’s office briskly. There was less than an hour until the school day was set to start and they wanted to have Gerard’s concerns quelled before homeroom.

When they knocked on the door, she looked up in surprise from her computer screen.

“Mr. Way, Mr. Iero. What can I do for you both?” she asked, looking them up and down. She seemed slightly amused to see them together in her office.

“Principal Danson, have you heard from Avery Sturgess’ parents recently? I noticed she hasn’t been at school and just want to make sure she’s fine.”

She furrowed her eyebrows together and pursed her lips.

“I don’t completely see how that’s your concern Mr. Way as she isn’t one of your students -”

“She’s in my after school book club and she’s a former student of mine so, yes, I do still consider her one of my students in fact,” Gerard said firmly.

Principal Danson sighed and pushed her glasses up further on her nose.

“Fine. I’ll have a look in the system. I do remember wondering about her myself. Give me a second.”

Frank nudged Gerard when she turned away and gave him a thumbs up.

A few more clicks on her keyboard and Principal Danson was staring intently at her screen.

“That’s right,” she mumbled under her breath.

“What? What is it?” Gerard asked.

She frowned. “Her homeroom teacher reported her absent on Monday and yesterday. I had tried to follow up with her parents on the phone but they never picked up on either day.”

Gerard stood there gawking at her, Frank looking increasingly worried at his side.

“And so, what? You called them once and gave up?” he asked, incredulously.

Principal Danson scowled at him, not even trying to hide her frustration. “Mr. Way, please calm down. I don’t know that you know how busy it gets up in administration during the day. We tried following up with the parents, got no response, and then eventually, we got ground down by all the _other_ things we have to take care of during the day.” A look of embarrassment flitted across her face momentarily.

“She’s a student of ours and we need to know that she’s okay,” Gerard said through gritted teeth, trying not to lose his composure. “Try calling her parents again now because she still isn’t here.”

Without a word and her lips in a tight line, Principal Danson picked up the phone on her desk, glanced at the phone number on Avery’s file and dialed. She leaned on her elbow, drumming her fingers on her desk and avoiding Frank and Gerard’s penetrating gazes while the line rang. After a few moments, she made a surprised face and turned her chair even further from them.

“Mrs. Sturgess? Hi, good morning. It’s Principal Danson from Haddonfield Memorial High School. How are you?” She paused. “Good to hear. I was wondering if you could let me know if Avery will be in school today.”

Avery’s mother said something on the other line and Principal Danson frowned. “No, she hasn’t been in all week.”

Gerard held his breath. Frank started biting on his bottom lip.

There was another prolonged silence. Frank and Gerard heard Mrs. Sturgess’ voice saying something on the other end and Principal Danson sighed, bringing her hand up to her face and rubbing her eyebrows.

“Okay. We’ll call the police department immediately.”

At that, Gerard felt his blood run cold. She hung up.

“Avery isn’t in her room. They’re going to check the house but they think she might have run away. ”

“Are you _kidding_ me? How did they not know their daughter was missing for two whole days? Maybe longer?” Geard seethed, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. But he knew. Avery had let it slip in conversation a few times when she was his student that she didn’t have the best home life. He hadn’t realized it was _this_ bad though.

Principal Danson opened her mouth to speak but Gerard kept talking. Frank wanted to try and calm him down but knew it would be no use.

“And thank God I noticed and came here to say something! Or else who knows how much longer she could have been missing!”

“Mr. Way, I’m getting the police on now to start a search and they’ll help. Just calm down,” she pleaded.

“This is ridiculous. I’m going to help find her,” he said, turning to leave.

“Gerard, you _cannot_ leave right before the school day is set to start,” Principal Danson said firmly. “Let the police do their job, they can handle this.”

Frank turned and placed his hand on Gerard’s arm again to try and settle him.

“Hey, Gee,” he said softly. “Listen. Let them get the search started for her and the _minute_ the day is over, we’ll go help if they haven’t found her already, okay? Hey, look at me.”

Gerard willed his anger to subside for a second and looked directly into Frank’s eyes, seeing firm resolve there.

“I promise you, we will help find her if they can’t. Right away.” And Gerard knew by the tone of his voice that Frank meant it with every bone in his body.

He shook his head.

“Fine,” he said, his teeth clenched and voice tight. “Please keep us updated on the search, Principal Danson.”

She nodded quickly. “I will. I’m calling right now.”

Gerard stormed out of the office and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, Frank trailing closely behind.

“Who are you calling?” he asked as Gerard brought the phone to his ear.

“My brother. Hey, Mikey,” he said hurriedly as Mikey picked up on the other end. “You’re gonna be getting a call from my principal soon about a missing student. Make sure you have all your best guys on it, you understand me? She’s a good kid. And text me everything. Keep me updated if you find so much as a hair on the ground.” He hung up after getting Mikey’s reassurance.

Gerard looked back at Frank and saw pure worry on his face.

“Are you gonna be okay today?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“No,” Gerard sighed.

“I’ll make sure you are.”

Gerard closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Exhaling slowly, he opened his eyes. Frank was still in front of him, patiently waiting. And just that made the tension in his muscles begin to slowly dissipate.

“Let’s get this day over with, yeah?” Frank said, tentatively putting his hand on Gerard’s back. He didn’t know if this was an inappropriate way to comfort him at work but it felt right to do so. And Gerard didn’t pull away.

The two began walking away from the administration area.

“Thank you,” Gerard whispered as they reached a staircase where Frank was turning to head to the basement. He was too consumed with worry for Avery to articulate much else. 

Frank looked back and gave him a small smile. He didn’t need to tell Gerard that if he needed anything, he knew where to find him. Then he disappeared down the stairs.

***

By recess, everyone had heard about the Avery situation. Some kids in her grade started rumours about where she had gone and what had happened to her, prompting the teachers to scold and hush them. Only a few teachers, some of Avery’s current ones, expressed a level of concern almost on par with Gerard’s. They had also approached Principal Danson to ask if there was anything they could do to help.

“Just please be patient,” she advised them, trying to maintain control over the situation. “The police are handling it. If, by the end of the day, they haven’t found her, whoever wants to can join the search party.”

Gerard and Frank found their usual solace in Frank’s classroom for lunch. Frank let Gerard rant about how broken the school system was, how incompetent people could be, how shitty parents needed to take a good, hard look at themselves. Frank eyed Gerard’s leg that was anxiously bouncing up and down, his lunch in front of him mostly untouched. He noticed how Gerard’s eyes would constantly dart to his phone on the desk where the screen was face up in anticipation of a text or call from Mikey.

“Gee,” Frank started, reaching out his hand to place it on Gerard’s leg to hold it in place. Gerard was so surprised by the gesture that he stopped bouncing it immediately. The feel of Frank’s hand there made his whole body tingle.

“You need to try and calm down,” Frank continued. “Stressing won’t make the day go by or make the police find her any faster, okay?”

It was easier said than done but Gerard knew he was right. He forced his body to remain still and took a deep breath through his nose. It felt like he had been doing that way too much today. On his own, it didn’t help much, but with Frank he certainly felt the tightness in his body begin to dissolve. Frank smiled as he saw him relax.

“There you go.” He laughed. “We’re two halves of a whole mess, aren’t we?”

A smile twitched at the corner of Gerard’s lip. He knew that Frank had his own internal conflict going on right now and that he had put it on hold momentarily to soothe Gerard’s anxieties. The thought made his heart hurt even more.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Gerard was up and out of his seat before the last shrill of it rang through the school.

“See you tomorrow, class,” he said quickly, ignoring the students’ confused glances at his quick exit. He didn’t worry about locking up - the janitor would just have to take care of it that day.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, heart in his throat. Only a single text from Mikey.

_Nothing yet._ It had been sent 47 minutes ago.

With a sigh of frustration, Gerard quickly texted Frank.

_Meet out front._

And then he called his brother. Mikey picked up on the third ring.

“We’re about to search the woods near Avery’s house,” he said before Gerard had time to utter a word. “Come meet us here if you want.”

“Okay. I’m just gonna wait for Frank and we’ll be right there.”

Frank was outside mere minutes later, moving between pulling his messenger bag strap higher up on his shoulder and trying to wrap his scarf more tightly around his neck. His breathing came out in puffs of smoke through his slightly parted lips.

“I hope wherever she is that she’s warm,” Gerard mumbled when Frank finally got to him. He couldn’t allow himself to think of any other possibility. They said nothing as Frank wrapped his arm around Gerard’s shoulder protectively, not giving a shit who saw, and steered him towards the car.

***

By the time they reached the edge of the woods, Mikey was the only one still there, his gloved hand grasping a walkie-talkie that he held near his ear.

“There you are,” he said, clearly anxious to get going. “I was waiting for you. Let’s go.” The three of them wasted no time and headed in together.

The woods on the outskirts of Haddonfield were hard to get lost in, thankfully. They didn’t stretch for miles and miles menacingly, but they were big enough that you needed a buddy system to navigate them safely. In their group of three, Frank, Gerard, and Mikey scoured the woods, occasionally shouting Avery’s name in case she was close enough to hear them.

A sudden thought struck Gerard as they continued to search, his instincts apparently kicking up old information in his brain like a cloud of dust. 

“Isn’t there like an old abandoned treehouse out in these woods somewhere?” Gerard asked, stepping over a fallen branch. A layer of frost shone brightly on its surface, prompting him to shove his hands into his pockets, suddenly feeling the freezing temperature more acutely.

Mikey wrinkled his nose. “The one that some teenagers built over a decade ago? I don’t know if it’s still standing, Gee. Last time you and I went to go hang out there was like what, when we were teenagers?”

Gerard shrugged. “I know but...it’s worth a shot, isn’t it? Better than just wandering the woods aimlessly looking for God knows what.”

Sighing, Mikey brought his walkie-talkie close to his mouth. “Heading west to investigate possible treehouse hideout. Over.”

“I hope to God she’s there, or at least somewhere sheltered,” Frank said as the three of them headed west towards where the old Haddonfield woods treehouse would be. “It’s too goddamn cold for any other option.”

Mikey hummed, sneaking a glance at Frank. He didn’t want to lose his focus on the task at hand, but he was unable to completely turn his suspicions towards Frank off, even now.

They walked for about 15 more minutes until a distinct shape in the trees began to appear in the distance.

“There it is,” Gerard breathed, shoving his hands into his pockets and rapidly increasing his walking pace until he was practically running towards the treehouse.

“Gerard, _wait_ ,” Mikey called out in exasperation, beginning to trail after his brother. Frank sighed, looking up at the sky momentarily before beginning to jog after them as well.

As he got closer to the treehouse, Gerard really noticed what years of exposure to the elements had done to it. The decrepit wooden box sat high in the branches of a tall, sturdy maple tree. The wooden planks that formed the walls of the treehouse had been stripped of their original colours down to a dull, gray-ish shade, smooth from years of being battered with rain, snow, and too-hot sunshine. Some faded graffiti still remained on it, the once bright, neon colours now also washed out and almost completely scrubbed away.

“Avery?” Gerard called out, his voice higher pitched than usual. “Avery, are you up there?’

No answer except for the wind that hissed through the trees.

By the time Frank and Mikey had caught up to him, Gerard was already making his way up the dilapidated treehouse ladder, trying not to slip on some of the frost that had already begun to cover the rungs. The other two waited at the bottom of the tree silently, bracing themselves for whatever Gerard would find waiting for them up in that treehouse.

Gerard had finally reached the top, trembling from the cold and the anticipation. He waited a second before finally peeking over the top rung of the ladder into the treehouse. It was small, smaller than he remembered, so it didn’t take long for his eyes to finally land on the shape of Avery huddled up in the far right corner. He was so relieved that he couldn’t stop himself from sighing and letting his head fall against the ladder, thanking whatever higher power existed that she was there.

At the sound, Avery turned to look at him, squinting her eyes.

“Mr. Way? Is that you?” Her voice was small and tired. She had what looked to be multiple sweaters wrapped around her and a tattered but warm-looking blanket thrown across her legs. Books and discarded granola bar wrappers littered the space around her.

“Is she up there?” Frank called anxiously from below.

“Yeah, she’s here,” Gerard called back, not daring to take his eyes off her for a second. She turned her head away from him, facing the wall, cheeks bright and eyes tired.

“Avery, what are you doing up here?” he asked softly. She didn’t answer.

Gerard paused. “Are you...okay?”

She still didn’t respond and kept her eyes firmly on the wall next to her, as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. Her gloved hands were tucked under her armpits to keep them warmer.

A couple of seconds passed and then Gerard felt a tap on his shoulder from outside. He looked behind him to see Frank had come up the ladder. His expression was mixed with curiosity and concern.

“Do you mind?” he asked gently, gesturing inside the treehouse where Avery still sat silently.

Gerard nodded, hoisting himself up and inside the pathetic little establishment, careful not to make too much noise or to approach Avery in case she wasn’t yet ready. Frank came up over the top and did the same. Mikey had followed him but he stayed on the ladder outside, hands gripping the upper rung as he balanced his weight on the treehouse. He lifted his walkie-talkie to his lips and spoke into it.

“Found her. Treehouse west of the woods. I’ll take it from here but get an ambulance on scene, she might be dehydrated.” If Avery wanted to protest against this, she certainly hid it well, remaining as still as the maple tree that she was perched up in.

Frank moved tentatively towards Avery, not close enough to make her uncomfortable but close enough that she could hear him speaking softly.

“Avery,” he began, not quite sure what to say that would get through to her. Like with Gerard, she didn’t respond but kept her eyes firmly trained on the wall next to her.

“I know you’re probably really scared and wish we weren’t here right now, huh?” Frank continued gently. “But you’re not in trouble. No one is angry with you. We just wanted you to be okay. And we’re so relieved that we found you.”

Avery shifted her body slightly but still didn’t indicate that she had the intention to respond.

Frank hesitated. He looked at Gerard who was staring at him with eyes the size of the moon, mesmerized. He gave him a nod of encouragement as if to say _keep talking, Frankie._ Mikey was standing motionless on the ladder, holding his breath as he listened intently to Frank’s words.

So Frank took a deep breath and continued.

“I know you’re probably worried that people are mad at you, or people are making fun of you, but no one is doing that. Everyone just wants you back home safe.”

Gerard wasn’t sure but he could have sworn he heard Avery make a small whimpering sound.

Frank swallowed, suddenly aware of the emotions rising up in his chest. He forced himself to push them aside lest they got away from him.

“You didn’t do a bad thing, Avery. This doesn’t make you bad. You were…probably scared of something, and did whatever you could to keep yourself safe. Right? And it’s normal to want to run when you feel scared, or trapped, but you need to come home now so people can take care of you because we care about you.”

Mikey narrowed his eyes as he listened to Frank speak. Interesting choice of words, and said with something behind them that Mikey couldn’t _quite_ place his finger on. But his detective sixth sense was definitely tingling again and he couldn’t ignore it. He felt as if there were puzzle pieces falling into his open palms and he had to start putting them together before they disappeared.

There was another beat of silence, the sound of the wind rustling the trees outside breaking it momentarily. Gerard held his breath, still overcome with relief at finding Avery safe and alive, and overcome with emotion at Frank’s words. The way he was saying them, he knew they were coming from a place that Frank had been before. Whether it was current or before they met or both, he wasn’t sure. But it struck something deep within him, something so raw that it made him ache for Frank even more strongly.

“Avery? Do you...hear what I’m saying?” Frank asked gently, leaning towards her to see if he could decipher her facial expression.

Then suddenly, she turned towards him. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears, her lower lip quivering violently from the cold and the sadness. Almost immediately, she threw her blanket off and crawled on the shabby wooden floor towards Frank. He was momentarily shocked as she collapsed against him, face buried in his coat, sniffling and clinging to his warmth and safety. He wrapped his arms around her, sighing. He locked eyes with Gerard over the top of her head, and he saw them filled with something that looked like pure adoration. Frank’s heart hammered against his chest, the mixture of emotions between Avery finally coming to him and that look in Gerard’s eyes causing it to practically burst out of his chest.

“I’m sorry,” she said, muffled against Frank’s chest.

Frank shushed her softly. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. We’re just happy you’re safe.”

The ambulance and more police officers finally showed up on the scene sometime later. Avery was escorted down from the treehouse gently, silently, as paramedics took her vitals. Gerard spotted Mikey having a hushed conversation with another police officer a few feet away.

Frank came up beside him, hands in his pockets, his face flushed. Gerard almost couldn’t look at him, the feeling from before still flowing through every cell in his body.

“You were amazing,” he whispered. “Seriously, Frankie. You knew exactly what to say to her.”

Shrugging, Frank kicked a rock that was near his feet. “It was nothing. Just...sometimes that’s what people need to hear, you know?”

Gerard was quiet before saying “Let’s go take a drive, yeah? I...I need to talk to you.”

Frank looked confused but nodded. “Yeah, of course. What is it -“ He stopped speaking abruptly when he noticed Mikey approaching them.

“Paramedics said she’s fine. A little dehydrated, very cold, and sleep deprived, but fine. We, uh...we’re gonna just talk to her down at the station, find out what happened. Maybe we’ll have to call social services, I don’t know,” he finished, scratching the back of his neck. “You guys gonna be okay?”

Gerard nodded. “Yeah. We were actually gonna go for a drive now, if that’s okay. Maybe get a coffee. It’s been a long, emotionally exhausting day.”

“Okay. No worries. Let me know whenever you plan on coming home.” Mikey turned to start walking to his car but then he stopped. “And Frank? Thank you. You really helped today.”

Frank nodded solemnly. “The pleasure was all mine.”

They all separated, Frank and Gerard walking silently to Gerard’s car. They piled in, only then realizing how numb their bodies were from the cold. The adrenaline from looking for Avery had finally worn off and they were suddenly exhausted and trembling. But they didn’t want to go home and be without each other, not yet. So they drove, Gerard gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Some time later, they pulled up in front of the coffee shop that they had gone to last time. Gerard put the car in park and turned to Frank, who had buried his nose in his scarf.

“I need to know,” Gerard whispered, his eyes boring right into Frank. He didn’t have to specify what he was talking about.

Frank winced. Somehow, he knew this had been coming. He had felt it like a jolt of electricity through his body when he saw the way Gerard had been looking at him in the treehouse all moony-eyed and like Frank was the only person who existed in his orbit. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand another second of not knowing the full picture of who Frank was, who he had been.

“Just the way you were talking to Avery, I…It was so raw. And so real. I know it’s coming from somewhere and I just...I know I said I’d be patient and wait until you were ready but…”

“No. No, you’re right. I can’t keep making you wait,” Frank agreed, rubbing his hands against his jeans. He turned in the passenger seat to fully face Gerard. The expression on his face was unreadable. Without even thinking about it, he reached forward and grabbed both of Gerard’s hands in his. His skin was soft and still slightly cold and fit his own hands perfectly. Gerard’s breath caught in his throat at the contact. He instinctively squeezed Frank’s fingers reassuringly. 

Frank inhaled through his nose and closed his eyes, bracing himself to open the Pandora’s jar of his past failures. Then he started from the beginning.


	9. NINE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO ALL MY BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL READERS OLD AND NEW.
> 
> So, as I was writing this chapter, I realized how ridiculously long it was getting - it's still not completely done. I figured then, that I would post it in two parts. And I have more than enough for part 1 so here it is!
> 
> **Just as a general note, THERE ARE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER.** TW for drugs, smoking, violence, sex, and a lot more swearing than usual.
> 
> That said, we're getting a look into Frank's past. I hope that you all enjoy this first part. And as always, though it can never be stressed enough - thank you so much for being here <3

# NINE - PART 1

_**Hudson County, NJ, May 2007** _

“Dude,” Frank started, letting out an exaggerated sigh as he dropped down on the grass next to a tree. An unlit joint hung from his lips as Ray leaned on the tree’s trunk, staring at him with an amused expression on his face. “I’m so fucking over Mrs. Smith getting on my ass about attending math tutoring after school.”

Ray laughed, nudging Frank in the thigh with the toe of his sneaker before sitting down next to him on the ground. “You know, maybe it’s because you’ve failed like three fucking tests this year, Frankie. You literally _need_ tutoring if you wanna graduate on time, dumbass.”

Frank groaned, rolling his eyes. He glanced around making sure no other students or people were around before pulling his lighter out of his jeans pocket and sparking the joint. Typically no one hung out in this part of the park near their school at lunch time but you could never be too careful. The end was alight with an orange-red glow and he inhaled deeply, relishing the feeling of the sweet smoke entering his lungs. He didn’t wanna smoke _too_ much but a couple of puffs wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t as if his teachers didn’t know he was blazed in class half the time anyway.

Ray watched the smoke trickle out of Frank’s mouth for a bit, making sure he had had his share before leaning forward quickly and snatching the joint from right between his lips. He gave him a mischievous smile as he placed it in his own mouth, Frank gawking at him.

“Hey _asshole_ that’s my fucking weed, get your own,” he said, scowling as he reached forward and tried to steal it back. Ray just gave him a big smile as he took a couple of tokes, swatting Frank away. He finally lowered his guard and Frank retrieved it.

“Sharing is caring, Frankie, don’t be greedy.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll care about sharing when you care about paying me back.”

“Next time it’s on me and I’ll give you three quarters of it.”

Frank snorted. “Deal.” He took one final inhale before snuffing out the joint and putting it back in the small tin box he kept in his backpack for later. Sighing, he collapsed against the grass, squinting against the mid-afternoon sunlight streaming through the leaves in the trees towering above him. He felt Ray shuffle closer, but he still stayed sitting and leaning against the tree. He ruffled through his backpack looking for a comic book to read. Both of them were feeling unusually exhausted that day and just wanted to be in each other’s company without really making an effort to say much.

“Just a few more weeks, Ray,” Frank mumbled, his eyes fluttering shut against the sunlight. He draped his arm over his face to block it out of his vision as much as he could but enjoyed the warm sun rays against the skin of his arm. “A few more weeks and we can give high school the fucking finger forever.”

“You better make sure you graduate then,” Ray mumbled, focused on his comic and feeling the lightheadedness from his tokes of the joint earlier. A small smile stretched across his face, his mind hazy. Frank was feeling the same, numbness beginning to creep through his body except for the feeling of the warm sun on him.

After about an hour had passed, though it felt like only mere minutes to Frank, Ray cleared his throat and nudged him with his toe again.

“Frank,” he said, his voice sounding like it was a hundred miles away. “Lunch is almost over man, we gotta start heading back.”

It felt like his body had half melted into the ground but Frank managed to lift himself up on his elbows, sighing. The sunlight seemed much brighter now. Ray was already standing and he reached his hand out to his friend to help him off the ground. Frank took it gratefully, standing up with a grunt. He brushed the grass off shirt and pants and put his hands in his pockets as he and Ray started walking back to the school building.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Frank said, the thought hitting him out of nowhere like a lightning strike. “Trevor said he got some really good shit that he’s willing to let us try a bit of. The high lasts for hours, apparently.”

Ray groaned and then laughed, rubbing his eyes hard with his fists. “Frank, we’re high _now_ and you’re already thinking of the next time you wanna get high?”

Frank giggled stupidly. “I guess I am.”

Ray punched his friend lightly on the shoulder as the staff parking lot came into view. “You’re an idiot.”

“But that’s why you love me.”

“Yeah, _whatever_.”

They reentered the school as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Ray and Frank hobbled over to their shared locker, trying very hard to mask the fact that they were currently not sober. Not that any of their classmates would have been surprised.

As the hallway cleared out, students heading to their afternoon courses, Ray tapped Frank on the shoulder. Frank turned and saw his friend giving him a big smile.

“A few more weeks Frankie, remember? Just like you said before. Then we can do whatever we want,” Ray said, sensing Frank was still slightly stressed out about having to attend after school math tutoring.

His mind still hazy and relaxed, Frank gave him a big smile back. “A few more weeks. Then it’s just us against the world, dude.”

“Damn right it is. I gotta get to English, okay? I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Later,” Frank replied, watching Ray turn and speed walk down the corridor. Alone by the locker, the last of the students dispersing, Frank sighed and turned on his heel to head the other way.

_Less than two more months,_ he thought to himself. _Then it’s fuck you and goodbye forever, high school._

***

_**Hudson County, NJ, September 2007** _

Frank exhaled loudly through his nose as he stared at the sheets in front of him, his eyes raking over the words. Earlier that day, he had gotten his official acceptance letter in the mail from a local community college for the following year.

_Congratulations! You have been accepted into the education program at Hudson County Community College. In this offer of admission, please find more information concerning your future studies…_

He had already known months before graduating high school that he was going to take a gap year, to the dismay of his parents. Ray was going the extra mile and taking two years, college the furthest thing from his mind. But the truth was, Frank had had no fucking idea what he wanted to do with his life because he had never given it more than a few minutes of thought. His parents had begrudgingly agreed to him taking a year off to figure out a plan, but no more than that.

“We just don’t want you to fall too far behind while the rest of your friends start getting ahead,” they had said. And he knew they meant well and their words came from a place of love. He also knew they were right and getting a college education was important. That still didn’t lessen his anxiety surrounding the whole thing. He had spent two full weekends combing through the programs offered by Hudson County Community College before deciding on their education program. Ironic, considering that he had never been incredibly passionate about education, nor the best student himself. There was a weird voice in his head that told him to go for it, though. Just one of those gut feelings. And his parents seemed to be pleased with his choice. So he sent his application through, unwilling to admit that he felt a small sense of satisfaction in doing so. Maybe deep down, subconsciously, he felt ashamed about how he had handled his own education and thought this could be a slight chance at redemption.

And now, here was that college acceptance letter staring him in the face. But the semester was so far from starting and in the meantime, Frank and Ray had other, less savoury things to occupy their time. A little bit because they could use the extra money, especially with college around the corner. But honestly, mostly just because they were bored.

Shortly after they had graduated and were a couple of weeks into summer, Ray had approached Frank with a mischievous glint in his eye. They were hanging out at the park, Frank sprawled in the grass as usual, ripping up blades of it with his fingers.

“What is it?” he asked curiously as Ray towered over him, not saying anything, just grinning.

“So I actually spoke to Trevor the other day. He’s been uh…” Ray lowered his voice, looking around to make sure no one else was around to hear them. Other than a small child and their parent swinging way out of earshot, the coast was clear.

“He’s been dealing some weed and asked if I’d be interested in selling a bit too. You know, pocket money,” he whispered, trying to sound casual but there was a hint of excitement to his voice.

“Are you gonna do it?” Frank asked, his curiosity piqued.

“I think so? I mean why not, right? It can’t be that hard and it’s not like I have anything more fun or important to do.” Ray paused. “And I was thinking...you wanna do it with me? Just for shits.”

Frank stopped to think before responding. He certainly liked getting high, that was no secret, especially with Ray. But selling drugs? That was a whole other ballgame and he was a little hesitant about immediately saying yes.

He thought about his upcoming college semester. All the bills that would add up between tuition and books. He had managed to get a part-time gig at a convenience store after graduating, but would that allow him to save up enough while still buying shit he actually wanted? He thought about his parents. They already knew he was kind of a screw up, but they still had their hopes for him. They believed in Frank and what he was capable of. 

Then he thought about the remainder of the year that still stretched between starting college and the present moment. So much time and so, _so_ little to do in Hudson County.

Frank knew people would try to psychoanalyze him. How did this happen? He came from a relatively good family. He wasn’t stupid. He _could_ have done a bit better in school if he had maybe applied himself a little more. But the truth was, he was bored and it wasn’t like he had anything of great importance to throw himself into just yet. He was a little jaded, there was no doubt about that. He had some interest in actually doing well at college, but why not have fun and get fucked up in the meantime? Maybe get a little rush of danger here and there.

There was a little voice in the back of his head that, if he wasn’t careful, would seep through the rest of his thoughts.

_Come on, Frank. You’re better than this,_ it would say. Thankfully, it was easy to ignore most of the time.

Frank felt Ray’s eyes burning a hole in him. He turned to look at his best friend, who was staring at him expectantly.

“Alright, yeah,” Frank said. “Let’s do it.”

***

_**Hudson County, NJ, December 2008** _

Standing outside of the college building, Frank wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck and pulled his hat down over his ears. Thick snowflakes fell from the sky as he leaned against a wall and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He placed one in his mouth, lighting it up silently as he watched the snow fall. He took a deep inhale, relishing the bitter smoke that travelled down to his lungs before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He flipped it open to see an unread text from Ray.

_“Going down tonight. You’re coming, right?”_

Frank typed back an affirmative answer before putting his phone away to enjoy his cigarette in peace. He did feel a _little_ lonely without Ray in college with him but it was nice to be able to be out here smoking in solace. And he could reflect with the quiet of the white snow. 

He thought about the deal going down that night and felt a jolt of excitement and nerves pass through him. He and Ray had done some minor weed deals with locals over the past year and a bit with the help of their friend, Trevor. Never _too_ often - they still wanted to stay under the radar. But it was enough that their pockets were never wanting for cash.

In the fall, it had picked up a little bit. They still sold mostly weed, but every now and then, the occasional opportunity to strike up a deal for some shrooms presented itself, and they couldn’t pass up. But as their dealings had become more regular, it also meant they had had more run-ins with rival dealers. So they had taken some safety precautions, including making aliases for themselves. As Ray had said, you can never be too careful.

They had been in Frank’s room, buzzed off beers and cheap rum when they started thinking about it.

“I don’t know, dude,” Frank slurred, laying down on his bedroom floor. He tried to monitor the volume of his voice as much as possible so his parents wouldn’t hear them. “Coming up with fake names is hard.”

Ray hummed in agreement, tracing a jagged pattern on his friend’s comforter.

Frank’s head lolled to the side and his eyes landed on an old, dusty globe that he had shoved under his desk years ago. The world’s image on the sphere was a bit faded. He pulled himself up and walked over to it slowly, picking it up in his hands. He placed his hand on it and gave it a spin, grinning.

“What are you doing with that globe?” Ray asked curiously as Frank walked over to him, eyes still transfixed on the object in his hands.

“I’m spinning it,” Frank said, closing his eyes and straightening up dramatically. “Whatever country I land on will be my new alias.”

Ray scoffed. But then his expression became thoughtful. “You know what...that’s not a bad idea, actually.”

Frank giggled, eyes still closed and spun the globe. He waited a few seconds before jabbing his finger onto it to see what he got.

“France,” he mumbled. “Sounds kind of close to my actual name. Maybe that’ll be my last name. Something France.”

“Will!” Ray blurted out. Frank stared at him incredulously.

“ _Will?_.” He paused, putting his hand on his chin thoughtfully. “Will France. Kinda has a nice ring to it.”

“Sounds like a porn star name.”

“You suggested it, dickwad!”

“And I have no regrets.”

“Okay, your turn.”

“Fuck that, I don’t wanna choose a single country. What’s a fancy name for ‘world’, like in French? I feel like it’s ‘monde.’ I wanna be the whole globe.”

Frank stared at him in awe. “It actually is ‘monde.’ I don’t know how the fuck you remembered that from high school French.”

“Because I’m amazing,” Ray said, matter of factly, his curly hair bouncing as he tipped his head back in self-admiration.

“I get to choose your first name now. Jeff,” Frank said slyly.

Ray groaned. “Jeff? Dude...ugh, _fine_. It’s only fair. Jeff Monde it is.”

Frank burst out laughing. “Who sounds like the porn star now?”

“Still you, Will France.”

Frank smiled at the memory as he took one last inhale of his cigarette, then dropped it into the snow to sizzle out in the vast fluffy, whiteness. He sighed as he walked back into Hudson County Community College, adjusting his messenger bag strap higher on his shoulder. He had a couple more classes to get through and then it was the weekend.

And he had that night to look forward to.


End file.
